Audacity
by JanieEvangeline
Summary: When Scipio finds a girl one summer night and brings her back to the Stella, no one's prepared for what happens next. Time passes, events happen, and everyone's lives are changed forever :for better or for worse, it's hard to say. 2,000 READS! THANK YOU!
1. Introduction

It was a warm, quiet night in Venice. The nearly-full moon was almost completely hidden by thick clouds that spilled across the sky. On a street corner, a single bulb attached to the brick wall of a small, dirty building flickered, buzzed, and then died out.  
A thin, tall figure slipped silently through the shadows. If there was a light on near by, one could see that he was about eighteen years old, with a mess of dark hair and a long, black trenchcoat. He was wearing a very strange mask, shaped like a bird's beak, from which dark eyes peered out at the world. There was a light brown sack slung over his back, obviously filled with some sort of treasures, and which was being effortlessly balanced. Scipio walked along the building, still hiding in the dark, and turned the sidewalk corner to find himself walking along an alleyway infested with roaches and other insects. A few leaves crunched under his feet as he made his way down the alley, but then, quite abruptly, he stopped.  
There was a person lying at the end of the alley and he couldn't tell whether they were breathing or not. Coming closer, he saw that it was a girl who was no younger than himself. Her pale skin was scraped, bruised, and bleeding, from her arms down to her legs. She was wearing a pale green T-Shirt and jeans, but the jeans were ripped at the knee, which also had blood coming out of it. Her long, brown hair was spread over her face. Scipio reached out a gloved hand and pulled it away, revealing her closed eyes and tear-stained cheeks. Obviously, she was unconscious.  
For once, Scipio did not know what to do. He looked at her for a moment before an idea came to him. His eyes quickly glanced around the alley before he straightened his back up and walked over to a moss-covered corner. He took the bag on his back off and folded it as many times as he could, then hid it behind an enormous potted plant that was a mere few feet away. Then he went back to the girl and, quickly but gently, scooped her into his arms. She was incredibly light -- too light, he decided.  
Scipio hurried through the alleyway and down the sidewalk as fast and quietly as he could. Finally, he turned into yet another alleyway, though this one had a chipped door with faded letters at the end and a small window over which a thick curtain was pulled tightly over. He went to this door and knocked on it, having to rearrange the girl in his arms slightly as he did so.  
Another girl of about fifteen years of age slowly pulled back the curtain and shut it again, opening the door a second later. She was in a red nightshirt and blue sweatpants, with dark hair falling to her waist in a perfect braid. "Scipio---!" she exploded, but then stopped at the sight of the girl he was carrying.  
"I found her nearby, Hornet," said Scipio. "She seems to have lost consciousness and I thought that I should bring her here"  
"Well, come in already, for Christ's sake," said Hornet sourly, stepping aside to let him inside. Once Scipio had walked in she closed the door behind him and scowled at the back of his head, following him into the old cinema.  
The Stella was once a crowded and popular theatre, but was now seemingly abandoned. Seemingly. Nobody knew, besides its inhabitats, that the Stella was not empty at all, and kept in very good shape.  
"So she can stay in the spare bed, I guess," said Hornet as she lead Scipio up to the sleeping rooms. She pointed to the empty bed next to her own and Scipio lay the girl down on it.  
"Now," she said, suddenly businesslike, "I have some medicine that should be able to clean those cuts out and make the swelling go down." As she ran to the next room to get it, Scipio straightened his mask and looked at a clock on the wall. The glass that used to cover it was broken, but the clock still worked and now said 11:47.  
Hornet came back in holding a small jar of white paste-like ointment and a wet rag. She went over to the girl and started wiping off the blood with her rag, at the same time asking Scipio, "What happened to her, anyway"  
"I don't know. I just found her in an alleyway. She might have gotten pushed off of the stairs or something"  
"Hmm. Maybe," said Hornet absentmindedly, now dabbing at a bruise with the ointment. "Well, she should wake up in a few hours. When she does, I guess we'll get her back home"  
Scipio nodded and made his way down the stairs once more. Then he reached the door and opened it to step once more into the silent, dark night. 

Author's Note: I'm sorry this chapter isn't good at all. I was feeling sick and tired when I wrote it, so hopefully you'll understand. )  
Enjoy and please leave a comment if you like it! Constructive criticism is welcomed! 


	2. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Eeee, thankies! Because of InkySubstance's suggestion, there are now spaces in between the paragraphs. Hope it's a bit easier to read now. )  
Also, I just realised I forgot to put something at the beginning of the previous chapter: In this story, the gang has yet to find out about Scipio's father (whom he still lives with) and all that stuff. Also, some years have passed, so they're a bit older (like Scip is eighteen, Hornet is about 15, etc)  
And one more thing: I haven't read the book in a while, so if I get something wrong (like a last name or things of the sort) I apologize in advance.  
Enjoy this chapter!

Chapter One

"So basically, Scipio just found her and brought her here?"

"Yes, Riccio."

"And he's never even seen her before?"

"Yes---well, if you were in his situation, what would you have done?"

"Nothing."

Hornet lightly slapped the boy on the back of his head. "Oh, shut up."

It was the next day, and outside, the sun was high in the sky, making the temperatures skyrocket, not unusual for this time of year. Hornet had just finished telling the story of what had happened last night to Bo, Riccio, Mosca, and Prosper.

"Is she staying with us?" asked Riccio suddenly. Hornet stared at him. "What?" he said.

"What makes you so sure she's run away? How do you expect me to know?" she asked.

"Well, I don't...but---"

"And that, Riccio, is exactly the point."

Upstairs, the girl tossed and turned in her bed as a horrific nightmare played again and again in her head: the sound of sirens and bright blue and red lights flashing through the night air; her body, falling through an empty world; and then finally, a door slamming behind her, over and over again, as though she were closing all of these chapters out of her life each time, something she had tried so desperately to do all along. She had yet to awaken, but when she did, it was not the sight she had wanted to see.

She looked around the room and sat up, the first thought coming to her mind was that she was, in fact, not dead. She was not sure how to feel about this, but her expression showed complete disappointment, which quickly changed into rage. She bit her lip and forced herself to calm down, trying to think of something else.

Where was she, anyway?

At that moment, Hornet walked by the open door and said, "You're awake! Good, I was---"

"Who are you and where the hell am I?" she asked, interrupting the other girl. Hornet smiled slightly and sat at the end of her bed.

"I'm Hornet. Well, it's not my real name, but it's what everyone calls me. And you are?"

There was a moment of suspicious glaring before the reply came: "Elaine. Elaine Vieri."

"That's a really nice name. I used to know someone named Elaine..."

"Where am I?" Elaine asked again, with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"You're in The Stella. It's an old movie theatre...but I'm sure you already know that. Anyway, where are you from?"

"Why do you care?"

"So we can take you home."

"Home? I ran away for a reason!"

Elaine hadn't meant to say it to anyone, much less this stranger, but at her words, Hornet looked as though she may have expected it.

"Oh, well, then that would clear things up. Do you want to stay here, then?"

"In a cinema?"

"Well, yes." Looking at the confusion on Elaine's face, Hornet said, "Let me explain. There are five of us living here, all about our age -besides Bo, who's seven- and we're all orphans. Excluding Mosca, that is," she added after a pause. "But anyway, we all stay here because none of us want to go to an orphanage and such. It's pretty nice. It's like we're all one big family or something."

"And how do you pay for everything?" said Elaine, now quite interested in the orphans and their lives.

Hornet hesitated, then said slowly, "We sell things. Stolen things."

"So you all live in an old theatre and make money by illegally selling stolen things?" said Elaine, a grin beginning to form on her lips.

"Well...yes."

"That's okay," said Elaine. "I mean, after all, sometimes you just have to do what it takes to get by. So you steal everything?"

"No, I don't do any stealing. Scipio mainly does. Of course, he wants us to call him The Thief Lord, but we don't. He was the one who found you and brought you here, by the way."

"Oh."

"He isn't here right now, though..."

"Where is he?"

"I dunno. He just pops in every now and then and just goes off somewhere for a while. "

There was a short silence until Elaine asked, "Who else lives here?"

"Let me introduce you," said Hornet, standing up and grabbing Elaine's hand. They walked out of the room slowly; Elaine still wasn't feeling that good and walking hurt, but she managed to do it.

After going down the stairs and reaching the cinema, Elaine quickly sat in a nearby faded red chair, relieved to rest her sore muscles. It was then that she noticed she and Hornet weren't the only ones in the room.

"Hi. It's good to see you're doing okay," said a boy with mildly tan skin and dark hair. He held his hand out to Elaine and she shook it. "I'm Prosper."

"Elaine Vieri. Nice to meet you."

Once the introductions were over, Hornet sat down next to Elaine and said, "So, have you made your decision?"

"What decision?"

"You know. Do you want to stay here?"

"Well..." Elaine considered it. Everyone was very friendly and polite, and she could definitely see a friendship with them all (excluding Riccio. He was kind of annoying...But still, he could be worse.) On the other hand, she didn't want to be a nuisance. Besides, if they had to steal to get money...

"I don't want to be a trouble to anyone," she said hesitantly, after a moment.

"Of course you won't be!" said Hornet, as though the idea were ridiculous. "Don't worry, we've got enough money to get by--"

Exactly what Elaine had been wondering...

"--and we'd love to have you here!"

"Well...I don't know..."

"Come on, stay! Pleeeeeeease?" Bo tugged on the sleeve of the nightgown Elaine had changed into and looked up at her with big, pleading eyes.

A general echo of Bo's words sounded around the room, and she found herself looking back down at the boy and saying, with a smile, "Okay. I'll stay. For a bit."

The day passed rather uneventfully, besides the fact that Elaine was getting used to her new home and everyone else was getting used to her, and at about 10:30, everyone besides Hornet and Elaine were fast asleep. Hornet was sitting on her bed, reading one of her favorite books, and Elaine was in the bathroom, brushing her teeth with a spare toothbrush Hornet had found. A minute later, Elaine hobbled into bed, still with a slight limp, and slipped under the covers. Hornet picked her book up and started to read again when she heard Elaine say softly,

"Hornet? I don't mean to interrupt, but...how long have you been here? In the Stella, I mean. With everyone else."

"About two and a half years," said Hornet, looking over at Elaine.

There was a pause. "Wow. That's a long time."

"It is," Hornet agreed, "but I like it here. It kind of feels like we're all one big family, somehow."

Another pause. "That must be a nice feeling. I've lived with my parents all my life. Not to boast or anything. They weren't really ever parents...I mean," she hastily added, seeing Hornet's confusion, "they never acted like parents. Always ignoring me and stuff. More into their work than me. Thinking materials were enough to take care of a child. It's not always a wise idea to run away from your problems, but they deserved to be ran away from. Deserved it."

Hornet stared at the floor, not knowing what to say. When she looked up again, she wanted to ask her newfound friend a question about something, though she couldn't quite name what. However, Elaine had closed her eyes and was sleeping the night away.

"Goodnight, Elaine," she whispered instead. She put her book away and turned off the lamp that was between their beds. Then she, too, found sleep.

Author's Note: Well, there you go. Chapter One. Tada! I hope you liked it! This one was kind of cruddy too, but I'm still a little sick and I was feeling pretty bleh when I wrote it. I can promise you all that the next chapter will be a lot better.  
Also, I know some of you will be asking why Hornet told Elaine about the whole stealing thing so quickly, and um...I don't know myself. Teehee. She just did, I guess. Use your imagination!  
Review and I'll give you a cookie. :) 


	3. Chapter 2

Author's Notes: Here's Chapter Two, which, I have to say, I'm pretty proud of (though it's a bit shorter than I usually write and could be better...) Anyway, enjoy! Also, Happy Halloween and have fun eating candy! (And getting sick.) ;) 

For the next three days, Elaine made definite progress in the healing process. Before long, she was able to walk without a limp and move her upper body with ease. The only problem was her wrist, which she believed she had twisted, the fact that she usually felt somewhat sore, and a scar that remained near her eyebrow. It was noticeable, but she could keep it covered with her hair if she wanted to.

Which she did.

The hot summer weather made her drousy and tired, so often it was that one could find her curled up on a seat in the theater, sleeping peacefully, or in bed, taking a nap and with one of Hornet's books in her hands. This resulted in her often being slightly confused or difficult for her to always pay attention, which came to be an annoyance to her, after a while.

Hornet, on the other hand, said it was a good thing. "The fact that you are sleeping so much is essential when you're healing. Before you know it, you'll be feeling just fine."

Even so, Elaine was often cooped up in the Stella, not going anywhere because she was still healing. She was okay with this at first, but after a while, it started to get to her and her temper got slightly shorter than it usually was.

Moody and angry at seemingly everything, Elaine was pleased when, one evening, Hornet offered her a chance to go shopping for groceries the next day. "You'll like all the sights around the city. Even though it'll probably still be hot, you'll have a nice time. Just be sure not to trip over the pigeons."

Elaine laughed and responded, "I'll be sure to. The last thing I want is to have my teeth smashed in by concrete because of a pigeon!"

Soon, the two fell asleep. Elaine was in the middle of a dream when she heard Hornet say in a harsh whisper, "Scipio! God, I'm so tired of you turning up in the middle of the night...why can't you ever come at a reasonable hour?"

Scipio. Elaine was still groggy and in a state of half-sleep, but that woke her up. She'd heard so much about the Thief Lord, but never actually seen the boy who had rescued her. She sat up and, in the darkness, saw Hornet standing next to another tall figure.

"And now you've woken her up!" said Hornet crossly as Elaine turned on the lamp, suddenly bathing the room in a bright glow, and got her first look at the person who would forever change her life.

Scipio...did not look exactly how she'd imagined him, though she couldn't be sure what she'd been expecting. His dark hair contrasted so magnificently with his pale skin that she had to blink several times to get used to the effect of it. And his eyes...His eyes were almost as dark as his hair, if not darker, and full of mystery.

"Hello," he said to her, holding out his hand for her to shake. "Are you feeling any better? Looked like some pretty nasty injuries to me."

Elaine felt shy, suddenly, shyer than she'd felt in a while. His voice was silky and somewhat deep, and his mere presence was very intimidating. However, the softness of his hand was enough to give her enough confidence to say, "I'm feeling very well, thank you."

"Good to hear, Elaine," he said, dropping her hand. _How does he know my name?_ she wondered, confused.

"Elaine will be staying with us," said Hornet suddenly from behind Scipio, and Elaine felt embarassed all over again: her cheeks went red and she stared at the floor.

"Well...I mean...just for...a bit, you know..." she mumbled, her voice getting softer and quieter by the second.

Scipio smiled as she looked up slightly, cheeks still red. His smile was...radiant, to say the least. Something she couldn't quite name rushed through her body at the sight of it, and she thought she could stare forever at that wonderful smile.

"I don't mind," he said. "I really don't. I understand that some of us don't have everything we need to go along, and that's okay. You can stay with us as long as you like."

"Thank you very much," she said. "Seriously, thank you. You don't know how much I appreciate it."

Scipio smiled again, and she felt herself melt under his gaze. _Oh God!_ she thought. At that moment, however, Bo appeared in the doorway and flung himself at Scipio, squeezing the life out of him. "Scip! You're here! HIIIIII!" he said entergetically.

"Bo! What did I tell you about staying up late...?!" came Prosper's annoyed voice, but he stopped when he saw Scipio. "Oh. Scipio. It's you."

And he smiled as well.

Mosca and Riccio had just staggered into the room, rubbing their eyes and swearing under their breath, when Scipio said, "Guys, come downstairs. I've got..." He trailed off and looked at Elaine, then Hornet, who nodded. "I've got something," he finished.

iWhat in the world is he talking about?/i wondered Elaine as everyone slowly filtered out of the room. Only Hornet stayed behind, and looked over at Elaine.

"Come on," she said, helping her friend up. As they headed downstairs, she asked, in a quieter voice, "Remember how I told you Scipio is...well...the Thief Lord?"

Elaine nodded, and suddenly she understood exactly what Hornet was talking about. "Oh. Yeah. Right."

Downstairs, in the theatre, Scipio had emptied a burlap bag of its contents, which turned out to be glittering jewelry and coins of every shape and size. Elaine watched him empty it with wonder, mouth slightly open; then, realizing she was staring, she quickly looked away and her cheeks turned pink again.

"Prosper, get this to Barbarossa tomorrow," Scipio was saying to the teenager. "You should get a pretty good price on it, if I'm not mistaken."

"Okay, okay," said Prosper. For some reason he seemed to be trying to block Bo's view of the bag's contents; the 7-year-old escaped his brother's arms and looked up at him. "I'm not--!" he began, loudly, but Mosca told him to shush and he quieted.

"Well, see you all later," said Scipio, heading towards the door. He turned and smiled, Elaine thought, at herself. Then he walked into the darkness and was gone.


	4. Chapter 3

Two days later, during one dreary evening, Elaine found herself carefully looking over her possessions. She didn't have many. All she had was a few dollars that had remained unharmed and in her pocket during her fall and the clothes she'd been wearing the night Scipio had found her. They were ripped in several places, covered in dirt, and stained with blood, so unless she was really desperate, she wouldn't wear them. Even though they'd all gone shopping earlier in the day, they couldn't exactly afford new clothes yet, so this was pretty much all she had. 

_Oh well,_ she thought._ It doesn't matter. I'll be just fine._

_Liar._

"Elaine, can you go help Prosper with the salad really quick? I---" Hornet, who had been walking towards her bed, stopped when she saw Elaine. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," said Elaine, quickly stuffing her old clothes and small amount of money under the bed. Hornet still looked suspicious, so she hurried on: "What were you saying, Hornet?"

"Um, we're making dinner, and I was asking if you'd help Prosper with the salad? You don't have to, but---"

"Sure, that's alright," said Elaine, standing up and exiting the room. Hornet stole one last glance at her friend's old clothes, which she could see slightly peeking out from under the bed, before following her.

After dinner, Elaine went back up to the room she shared with Hornet and started digging around the room for anything else she might own, even though she knew that there was nothing else in there that was hers. A few minutes later, Hornet came in. Elaine didn't hear her, so she was rather startled when Hornet said, "Seriously, Elaine, what are you doing?"

Elaine jumped and turned around, her heart beating suddenly fast. "Geez, Hornet, you scared me!" she exclaimed.

"Sorry."

Elaine went back to her search and ignored Hornet's question, though she knew she was still waiting for an answer. Finally, Hornet said, "Elaine---?"

"Well, if you really want to know, I'm packing up my stuff," responded Elaine, suddenly annoyed. "Okay? Are you happy now?"

Hornet looked aghast. "What? Packing? Where are you going?"

"I don't know. I really don't know, Hornet."

"Then---?"

"God, Hornet, shut up!" Elaine's harsh reply shocked both of them into silence. Elaine stared down at the carpet, guilt already beginning to approach. On the other hand, she was angry at Hornet: Why the hell was she in her business, anyway? Hadn't she been taught better?

"I'm sorry," she said quietly after a moment.

"It's okay."

"No, really, it's not. You and everyone else have been so nice to me, and I've been such a bitch, and..." Elaine paused, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I really am."

Hornet leaned over to give her friend's hand a pat. "Elaine," she said, choosing her words carefully, nervous she would get angry again, "Scipio said you can stay here as long as you want."

Elaine sighed and slid her hands over her face. "I know. I just...I don't know. I feel like I'm asking too much from you guys." This was not the real reason she had such an intense desire to leave the Stella, but that was another story, for another time. Saying this little lie was so much easier than going into that.

Besides, she didn't really know where she was going, but in a way, she didn't quite care. But then again...that was exactly what she'd thought the night she left her parent's house, and look at where she'd ended up: nearly dead, if it hadn't been for Scipio.

_Is that really such a bad thing?_ she thought.

"Well, it's fine with me and everyone else, but if you want to leave, I understand," said Hornet, not adding that she would be quite upset if Elaine left.

"No, it's just that..." Elaine stammered over her words, finally giving up. "Just...nevermind."

She dropped her hands and sighed again. Hornet looked over at her, concerned. "Are you alright?" she asked.

Elaine smiled, the opposite of what she was feeling inside. "Yep, fine. Never been better!" she chirped, and Hornet turned around and picked up a book, satisfied.

Perhaps, if Hornet had noticed the look of exhaustion and sadness in Elaine's eyes, she might have known that she was lying. Perhaps, if she had noticed the small tears glittering in them as Elaine hastily blinked, trying to get them to leave, she would have realised it. And maybe --just maybe-- if Hornet had asked her what was really wrong, she might have gotten the answer, or part of it, anyway. But she didn't, and as she floated into the story of an old man with too many reckless grandchildren, Elaine was dealing with problems of her own...but they weren't so easy to get over.

Author's Note: Lame ending, lame chapter, I know. Hopefully you like it though. (Hey, that ryhmes!) Also, in the next chapter, there will be a somewhat big time jump, but nothing that important will have changed. So this is the last time you'll be seeing Elaine as a seventeen-year old. )  
Everything up to this point has been prewritten, so updates might be coming a little slower, but I really do enjoy writing this story, so much that I'm usually writing on the next chapter. So you won't have to wait too long.  
I'm going to be spending the whole afternoon and night and my friend's house tomorrow, so expect the next chapter in probably about 2 days. Whew! Done talking now, teeheehee. Review, please! )


	5. Chapter 4

Time passes. Weather changes, along with people. Leaves fall from trees and float back up again. Flowers bloom. 

Before anyone knew it, nearly a year had passed since Elaine's arrival. The summer had turned into fall, shortly followed by winter, and it was now spring. Elaine had changed from the sulky, somewhat rude girl she'd once been into a beautiful young woman with a very pure heart.

Mosca, Riccio, Hornet, Bo, and Prosper were pleased to be her friends, and in time they all had developed a strong connection towards Elaine that couldn't have been broken by a herd of wild horses. She had a unique kind of personality they all liked: she was very open about her views and yet accepting of others'; she always seemed to have a calm attitude that could sometimes be annoying but yet comforting. Elaine would have risked her life for any one of them in a second, and always had a helping hand extended.

And then there was Scipio.

Elaine and Scipio were like a pair of magnets. They were always finding an excuse to goof off, or spend time together, or just talk late into the night. In what seemed like no time at all, they had reached the unspoken status of best friends. Both of them had violent scars in their past, but neither of them knew it quite yet.

Perhaps this was what made them so close.

One way or another, however, they always could feel comfortable around one another, and as the seasons changed, their relationship grew.

"Bo! Come back here!" Elaine ran after a giggling Bo as he zoomed through the theatre. This particular evening, Bo was feeling like getting on Elaine's nerves an awful lot more than usual. When he ran off in the direction of the stage, Elaine couldn't help but feel quite annoyed - and tired.

_And I thought Riccio acted like a kid,_ she thought.

When she finally found Bo at the bottom of the stairwell leading up to their bedrooms, she quickly grabbed ahold of him as he tried to escape once more.

"Lemme go! Lemme go!" he shouted, fighting to get away, but Elaine was stronger than he was and he failed in his attempt. Finally, he calmed down enough for Elaine to get in a word:

"Bo, Prosper said to make your bed! You heard him! Now get up there!"

"Prosper's not here!" he said, beginning his struggles again. "He's at the store!"

"I know that. But it doesn't mean you don't do what he tells you to."

"But...but..." Bo stumbled over his words, trying to find an argument. "It's his bed too! Why can't he fix it?"

Elaine rolled her eyes. She loved Bo, but she wasn't in the mood for this right now. "Just get up there, Bo," she said. Bo obediently headed up the stairs with Elaine following close behind to make sure he did what he was supposed to.

She passed Hornet and herself's room, where Hornet's hair was out of it's braid, for once, and being combed. "Hey," said Hornet as Elaine went by. "What's up?"

"I'm trying to get Bo to make his bed," she responded. At that moment, however, she heard a loud knock come from downstairs and Mosca jump up to answer the door.

"Scip's here, can you make sure Bo makes his bed?" she asked Hornet quickly. The other girl nodded and Elaine dashed down the stairs.

Riccio, Mosca, and Scipio were standing around the stage, where Scipio had put the burlap bag he always carried. They were sifting through its contents and Scipio was taking off his bird mask.

"Scipio!" Elaine flung herself into his arms and gave him a hug, her usual greeting. "Hi!" She noticed Riccio pretend to gag and promptly flipped him off.

" 'Ello, Elaine," Scipio said, giving her back a pat. He'd never admit it (around the guys, anyway) but he lived for these moments: when he could see that someone, especially Elaine, was genuinely happy to see him.

Elaine pulled away from him and joined Riccio and Mosca, noticing that tonight's pile of stolen goods was rather small. As if reading her mind, Scipio said from behind her, "I'm really sorry, you guys, but I...haven't been feeling that good for the past few days, so I couldn't get much stealing in."

"Hey, it's okay. Stuff happens," said Elaine, turning around and smiling at him. In the bright of the theatre, her features were suddenly lit up. What stood out the most, however, was her eyes. Bluer than a robin's egg they were, and in the light, they shone. Complete with her healthy, rosy skin, dark brown hair, and simply stunning smile, she looked truly beautiful.

Staring is rude, he thought, just as he realised he was doing it. He looked to the right, where Hornet had come into the room from. It took him a second to realise something was missing. "Where's Prosper?" he asked.

"Store," said Hornet, after nodding her acknowledgement of Scipio. At that moment, Elaine yawned hugely. Her attempt to hide it was unsuccessful.

"Don't let me keep you up," said Scipio. "If you're tired, go to bed."

Elaine smiled at him. "Thanks. I think I will."

After saying goodnight to everyone, Elaine walked up to Hornet and herself's bedroom and simply fell onto the bed. She curled up under her covers and listened to the soft voices coming from downstairs, waiting, in particular, for one. After hearing Scipio's deep voice respond to something one of the others had said, she smiled contentedly into her pillow and closed her eyes.

Author's Notes: Yeah, this was more of a filler chapter, but I can guarantee you that the next one will be much more exciting. It'll probably be my favorite chapter so far, so when you see it's posted, get some popcorn and soda and make yourself comfortable. Lol. D Review, please.


	6. Chapter 5

Author's Notes: InkySubstance, there are a few reasons why I named it Audacity. One is that I think, in a way, it describes Elaine. Even though she's a very...well...I don't know the right word for it, but she's a person who thinks things over very carefully, she's not afraid to do what she wants to (or, in other words, what she thinks she can do) which can be a good and bad thing. The other reason, even though it's kind of the same, will be revealed in later chapters. I'll be sure to tell you when it comes up. )  
Okie dokie, here we go! Chapter five! Like I predicted, this is my favorite chapter, and it will probably be yours too. However, I have written this twice - the first time, I accidently forgot to save it when I turned off my computer (I am such an idiot, I know) so this is the second version. Though it's still pretty much the same, I think I liked the first version better. But bah. Can't undo the past.  
This chapter was inspired by Avril Lavigne's song "I'm With You" (well, towards the end-ish.) I recommend that when you're about five or six paragraphs away from the end that you listen to it, because it fits really well with the end of the chapter. Thanks, Avril!  
Finally, this chapter has a kind of...sexual scene towards the end. I can assure you, it's nothing graphic, but if you're offended by this kind of stuff, don't read!  
Enjoy... 

"Ugh. I'm sorry, Bo, but it's all messed up. I had it right a second ago, and...I don't know what happened." Elaine peered at the somewhat stitched up hole in Bo's jeans, which she was holding, and frowned.

"It's okay," said Bo, who was looking at the needle Elaine was holding and wondering how anyone could fit a needle through such a small hole.

"Well, we're going now," said Mosca suddenly. He, Hornet, Prosper, and Riccio were standing a few feet away from them. Unlike Bo and Elaine, they weren't dressed in their pajamas. This was because they were going out to get some things Prosper had forgotten to purchase the previous night.

"And you're going to the store at..." Elaine glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. "...9:45 at night? Remind me again why you didn't go during sensible hours."

"Because it was hot today," said Riccio. "We had to wait for the sun to go down."

"Uh-huh. And what store is open right now?"

"Well, that one on South street. The one that's open 24/7, or at least that's what it says. You know?"

"No. But it sounds familiar." Elaine was about to go back to trying to stitch up Bo's jeans again when she remembered to say good-bye. "Bye. And be careful. Venice can get kind of crazy at night."

"Okay, okay," said Riccio's muffled voice from the small hallway that lead to the door. A moment later, Elaine heard it open and then shut, and knew they were gone.

She worked at Bo's jeans for another ten minutes or so while Bo uninterestedly wandered around the theatre. After a while, she said to him, "Come on, Bo. Let's get you to bed." Bo nodded, even though she knew the last thing he wanted to do. She stood up and followed him up to his bedroom.

"Goodnight," she said to him, after tucking him in. Bo nodded again, his eyelids already starting to droop. She turned off the lamp in the room and quietly exited it.

Once she sat down on her bed, Elaine got right back to working on the hole in Bo's jeans. As she was doing it, she wasn't really concentrating on it. Her mind was on another moment in time, one that had happened years ago...

_"Sewing class?" A girl of about twelve years of age pulled her blonde hair back in a loose ponytail as she asked it. "I didn't even know our school had that."_

_"I didn't either," said the girl sitting next to her. She was about the same age, but her hair was long and dark instead. "I just found out at the beginning of the year."_

_"Well, what do you do in that class, anyway?" asked the blonde, stretching out on the patch of grass she sat on. Around them, a young mother pushed her sleeping infant in a stroller around the park, and a group of teenage boys played baseball._

_"Well, you sew and stuff. Since the year just started, we haven't learned too much, but I managed to fix my little cousin's stuffed animal." She rummaged around in her bookbag until she pulled out a small toy elephant. "I need to give it back to her soon, but here it is. I don't think I did half bad. Anyway, sewing class is a real easy A."_

_"Which you need," said the other girl, pushing her friend playfully. "Since you're failing Miss Coupelin's class."_

_The dark-haired girl threw the elephant at the blonde and promptly got it thrown right back at her._

_"Look at you! Throwing an elephant at me. I think you're a traitor, Elaine!" She pretended to be hurt, pouting and crossing her arms over her chest._

_"Oh, shut up," said Elaine, grinning. "Anyway, you're failing Miss Coupelin's class too."_

Elaine smiled sadly. It was amazing that she still remembered that. Suddenly feeling as though she was being watched, Elaine looked up and nearly had a heart attack when she saw Scipio standing in the doorway.

"Scipio! Oh my God! You scared me!"

Scipio said, "Oh, well what a pleasant greeting that is!"

"How the hell did you get in?" said Elaine, still blinking in shock.

"Well, I am the Thief Lord."

"Really, Scipio..."

"Okay, okay. The door was open."

"Open? The door? Everyone but me and Bo just left. They must have left it open. Idiots." Scipio sat next to her.

"They left? Where'd they go?"

"Store."

"In the middle of the night?"

"Don't look at me that way. It was Riccio's idea." Scipio looked down at the needle and Bo's jeans and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, this. Bo got a hole in his jeans and I'm trying to fix it." Elaine put it on the floor and turned to him. Noticing the abscence of his burlap bag, she asked, "Why are you here?"

"What? You don't want me here?"

"No, it's just that you don't have that bag you always carry around..."

"Well, I was just coming to visit, if you don't mind."

"Of course I don't."

They sat in silence for a few moments, listening to the crickets and the mild breeze. Each were lost in their own thoughts. Elaine was thinking about that stupid sewing class she'd taken in seventh grade and smiling to herself. Those were the days. Why did they have to disappear so quickly?

Scipio, on the other hand, was simply watching her. He loved it when she smiled. After a moment, Elaine looked up. "What?" she said. "Is there something on my face?"

"No, there's not."

Elaine shrugged and started to brush off the dust on her pants. As strange as it sounded, Scipio loved the way her hair fell over her face slightly, and the way her eyebrows furrowed when she concentrated on a particularly bothersome piece of lint that refused to come off.

There was something about Elaine that drew him to her. Was it her looks? Maybe. Her personality? Possibly. Both? Most likely.

There was a kind of innocence she possessed that he loved. Looking at her now, he thought about that. Also, and he seriously doubted it was only himself that thought so, Elaine was rather attractive, in his point of view. And now, her lips looked so soft, and...and...

_Shit. Shut up, Scipio._

They were just friends, he reminded himself. Just friends. Nothing more than that. He shouldn't be thinking about that when they were friends. If he thought she was a very likeable person, that was fine. But that was it.

Just friends.

Elaine looked up and opened her mouth to say something, but she never got to say it. Scipio couldn't help himself when he looped his arms around her waist and just kissed her. Elaine's eyes widened in surprise, and in that moment, time seemed to stop.

_I love you._

And, all of a sudden, Elaine was kissing him back, because this was what she wanted, too. Even as his hand slid up her back, under her shirt, she was just lost in this one moment. This one moment that was her own - no, theirs. Their moment.

They didn't even stop to think of the consequences. Why should they? This was just them. Them and nothing else.

Nothing.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter Six 

Author's Notes: Whew! exhales Glad you liked it. I was worried that feedback would be more like "Umm...okay (ew!)". Teeheehee. Maybe I worry too much.  
Anyway, here's the next chapter. I'm sorry it's kind of short, but the next one will be a lot longer. As always, enjoy, and be sure to leave a review!

When Elaine woke up, the first thing she saw was the thin and ragged ceiling. For a moment, she just stared at it, mind empty of all thought. And then, she remembered.

_Oh my God..._

She looked to her left, on the other side of the bed, but Scipio wasn't there. The realisation of this hit her like a baseball bat. Something sunk down to her stomach, and she could almost feel her heart shattering into a million pieces.

Uneasily, Elaine reached under her bed, and, after rummaging around for a few moments, found her clothes, which had been clumsily discarded the night before. She quickly put them on and sat up, looking around the room. Hornet was fast asleep in her bed; when Elaine's eyes paused on her for a moment, she rolled over and mumbled something to herself.

Elaine felt a lump in her throat and hot tears at the back of her eyes. In order to distract herself from the emotional collapse that was sure to come, she combed her hair and decided to go for a short walk. Maybe the fresh air will help me out, she thought.

After quietly tiptoeing out of the room so as to not wake Hornet, Elaine went down the stairs, walked across the theatre, and opened the door. The morning breeze suddenly hit her face and she closed the door behind her. Then she walked away from the Stella and around Venice.

It was still quite early, so there wasn't very many people out and about. Barely any of them noticed her as she passed, besides two women in very expensive-looking clothes who started to whisper together at the sight of her and a group of men about her age who called out perverted comments when she walked by. She ignored them and continued on her way, though she wasn't really going anywhere.

It was surprising that she didn't trip or bump into anyone, she was so lost in thought. Everywhere she turned, she only thought of Scipio, and her heart ached. Why had he left? Where had he gone that was more important than she was? And, worst of all, had she just been a one-night stand? Had their relationship just led up to this? Was it all over?

A single tear rolled down her cheek as these questions to herself and Elaine sighed, her lower lip trembling. She was now in a rich neighborhood: tall houses with many floors towered over her, neatly-kept lawns were on each side of her, and all in all, it was obvious that anyone who lived here lived a life of luxury.

They didn't have all the problems she had, Elaine thought, as another tear escaped from her eyes and splashed down on her shirt. They had money and proper homes and everything they ever wanted. Not like herself.

And, as Elaine turned around and started to head back to the Stella, tears now streaming down her face, she could have no idea that, just mere yards from where she was, that someone else was just as unhappy as she was.

Scipio was pacing.

Outside of his window, the sun was still rising, bathing Venice in a warm yellow glow. For a moment, he stopped to look at it, but a second later, was pacing around his room again.

He felt like such an idiot. He should have never, _never _kissed Elaine. Never. It was all just a big mistake, as he was realising now, and Elaine was probably awake and angry with him.

Why had he done all of that? He didn't need to. His teenage hormones had just taken control and now Elaine surely hated him for leaving. He couldn't help it; if his father had woken up and found that he was not in his room, or anywhere in the house at all...Well, he didn't like to think about what he would have done. But even so, leaving Elaine hadn't quite been the wisest thing to do.

Scipio felt ashamed. Ashamed and angry. He was ashamed for getting Elaine and himself into this whole big mess in the first place, and angry at himself for hurting the one person who had been there for him the most.

He was thankful that no one else in the house was awake yet, in his room and tidying, or telling him that his father wanted him downstairs for breakfast. If they had been, they would have easily noticed the tears glittering in his dark eyes.


	8. Chapter 7

Author's Notes: Awww. I didn't mean to make you cry (or almost cry), but I'm glad I made it emotional enough. I suck at writing sad stuff so I'm glad you thought it was.  
Warning: This chapter contains some discussion that might not be appropriate for younger readers. Nothing worse than last chapter, though. It's not really that bad, but I still felt like I should put a warning, so again, if this offends you, don't read!

Again, a song inspired me to write this chapter, and it would be "Quicksand" by Natalie Walker. Have you ever heard it? If not, I recommend you listen to it; it's a great song!  
Like I promised, this chapter is pretty long. 'N-joy!

* * *

Scipio had been wrong about many things in his life, but this time, he was right, or partly right, anyway: Elaine was angry.

She didn't want to hate Scipio. She loved him, she really did. But as the days turned into weeks and she saw no sign of him, sadness turned into anger...

Eventually turning into a boiling, bubbling hate.

Everyone else - that is, Prosper, Hornet, Mosca, Bo, and Riccio - were simply confused by his absence and hoped that nothing bad had happened to him. Deep down, Elaine hoped he was okay, too, but the anger she felt at Scipio buried it somewhere in her heart and it rarely came back up.

Why had he left? Two weeks ago, Elaine had been asking herself the same question, but for a different reason. Then, she'd thought it was something wrong with her. And even though she still thought somewhere along the same lines, it was different now: What was wrong with Scipio?

He had saved her life, then become her best friend, then slept with her, and then left. And he hadn't even come back to apologize, or explain, or anything. And that, in Elaine's opinion, made him a "back-stabbing bastard."

Deep down, she knew she still loved him. She was just starting to learn about how confusing that word could be. Love. How was it possible to love and hate someone at the same time? She didn't know. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know, but she kept finding herself thinking insulting thoughts about him and yet daydreaming about each and every one of his wonderful characteristics at the same time...

In the meanwhile, however, something had arisen to distract herself from Scipio, or at least temporarily: she had come down with some sort of...fever. She wasn't really sure what to call it. Elaine constantly felt sick to her stomach, sweaty, and, worst of all, she seemed to vomit all the time. In the mornings, afternoons, evenings, and sometimes, even in the middle of the night. None of the others seemed to be sick, but then again, she had always been a somewhat sickly kind of person.

Another thing was that she always had to go to the bathroom. It came to a point where, even in public, she couldn't be ten feet away from a bathroom to feel comfortable.

In between dashes to the bathroom, Elaine felt ravenous. The odd thing was that, even when she was absolutely starving, just looking at any kind of food made her feel sick to her stomach. And then, when she managed to get it down, it was straight back to the bathroom sink when it came back up.

Hornet thought it was a fever also, but the thermometer said that Elaine's body temperature was fine. Hornet looked through every medical book she had, but nothing could explain what was happening to Elaine.

They just couldn't figure it out.

At one point, Hornet even said that if she got any worse, they might have to take her to the doctor. Elaine knew they couldn't afford it, so she felt rather guilty when Hornet said this, but she knew that, if she really did get worse, it would be their only choice. Even so, she would only turn to it as a very last resort.

One thing was for sure, though: Elaine had gotten a lot more emotional. One day, when Prosper and Riccio were having a rather pointless argument about how the weather was getting warmer and they'd have to figure out a way to make the Stella cooler ("We'd have to install some kind of air conditioning system, Prop, and you know we can't afford that!" "I never said that, Riccio!") she promptly burst into tears. And then everyone and everything seemed to get on her nerves: Riccio chewing his fingernails, Mosca loudly twiddling with the radio, Bo singing some gibberish song, and on and on and on...After a while, she simply was in a bad mood all the time and snapped at everyone who dared to annoy her in any way whatsoever.

Maybe it was Scipio. Elaine wasn't sure. But he seemed to just be _everywhere,_ even when she didn't want to think about him: when her mind wasn't full of garbage that didn't even matter, she thought of him. When she and the others went shopping, she thought of him. When she was alone and the Stella was quiet, she thought of him. And even when she was tossing and turning in her bed at night, she dreamt of him.

He just wouldn't get out of her head.

One afternoon, Elaine was sipping on a cup of water and staring at the wall, thinking back to Scipio and that night. God. She'd been so stupid. They both had been. And now he was gone, just because of her stupid decisions, and she was a sick, moody bitch all the damn time. What was she, ----?

The cup of water fell to the floor with a crash. Bits of glass flew everywhere, and the floor was bathed in water. Elaine's eyes were wide, her heart beating a mile a minute.

_No fucking way..._

"Hornet?" she called upstairs a moment later. Her voice sounded odd, high-pitched, to her. "I'm going to the store. I need to get something. I'll be back soon."

She didn't wait for the muffled "Okay." Instead, she was already grabbing some money off of the table at the foot of the stairs and running out the door, stuffing it in her pocket as she went.

* * *

"Scipio, we need to talk." The harsh, gruff voice of his father reached Scipio's ears at a low pitch, and he could tell he meant business. Scipio looked up from his spaghetti, which he had been twirling absentmindedly on the end of his fork for the past few minutes. 

"Yes, Father?" he asked. The word sounded strange and tasted bitter on his tongue, but he knew it was the only way to avoid getting yelled at for disrespecting him later during the night.

"You've been acting rather strange lately," his father responded, his voice slow and dangerous, "and I was wondering if anything was...wrong."

"No, I'm fine," Scipio answered, a little too quickly. His father suspiciously looked across the table at him, and he felt like he was being X-Rayed.

"I was hoping," he continued, as though Scipio had not just responded, "that whatever is...upsetting you would not interfere with your studies, but your teachers tell me it has." He leaned over slightly, and Scipio thought he could smell whiskey on his breath. _Oh, God._

"Are you turning into one of those looneys, eh, boy? Do we need to take you to the doctor?"

"N-no..."

"You will treat me with **_RESPECT_** when I'm talking to you!" his father roared, and Scipio recoiled as though he had slapped him.

"Yes, sir."

"Now, if I hear of another act of stupidity that you have done from your teachers, Scipio, you'll wish you'd have never been born. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. The Massimo family name will not be frowned upon because of you."

Scipio stared back down at his plate, his appetite now completely gone. He suddenly wished Elaine was there to hug him like she always did, to cheer him up, but he'd ended that all because of that dumb mistake he'd made two weeks ago. No, Elaine and himself were definitely not friends or...well...much of anything any more.

* * *

It was torture, waiting in that awfully long line. Elaine craned her neck to see how many people were ahead of her only to discover, to her dismay, that she was tenth in line. 

Great. Now she'd have to wait even longer than she thought.

Once she had finally gotten out of that long line, Elaine ran down street after street in a rush to get to the Stella. She threw open the door to the bathroom and opened her purchase. The next few moments passed agonizingly slow. She didn't think that she had ever been so nervous in her life. Finally, after a few moments, she opened her eyes...

And nearly fainted.

Elaine had heard of these things being wrong before, but there it was, as clear as glass. In that moment, because of that little pink plus sign, she knew that she, Elaine Vieri, was pregnant.

Author's Notes: DUN DUN DUN!!!!!! Hehe, now I'm going to be hated because of that cliffhanger, but it was probably predictable anyway. Next chapter should be up very soon, though, so you won't have to wait that long to see what happens.  
I struggled a bit with this chapter, because I wasn't sure if I wanted it to turn out like this or not, but in the end, I decided to go for it. I hope you're not too disappointed with it, but that is just how the story will go.  
Review, please!


	9. Chapter 8

Author's Notes: I thought I might get that type of reaction. Heeheehee. I've never read "The Truth About Forever" but I'd really like to. Hmmm, one more thing to add to my Christmas list...:D Thanks for commenting! I was kind of worried that you wouldn't like the way it turned out, but I thought Elaine getting pregnant would add a nice twist to the mix. Thanks again and here's the next chapter! (Which, as I'm sure you'll love to hear, doesn't end with a cliffhanger)  
Warning: This chapter contains some rather...emotional scenes. Get your tissues ready!  
And it also has some profanity, of course, but forgive Elaine, she's hormonial.

* * *

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. - Helen Keller

* * *

No.

No.

_No._

This wasn't supposed to happen.

When the body goes into shock, usually it takes a moment for the mind to register what has just happened. Elaine slid down the wall and sat on the tiled floor, her mind empty of everything. The only sounds she could hear was the dripping faucet and her heartbeat: _Ka-thump, ka-thump, ka-thump_. For a moment, she just stared at nothing in particular, time suddenly frozen in its place.

And then, all at once, everything hit her.

In that moment, that one moment, Elaine just wanted to run away. To vanish on the spot, disappear. Never seen or heard from again. Gone forever. How she longed to escape from her increasingly terrifying life...

She didn't want this to happen. She _never_ wanted this to happen. It had to be fake, not real, just a big lie. Elaine hoped and prayed to anyone listening that this was just all a dream. But instinct - overwhelming, powerful instinct - told her it wasn't.

What could she do? The Stella wasn't a place to raise a child - if she'd go through with this, that is. What would happen? Would she give it up for adoption? Elaine knew they couldn't afford a baby; they'd have to get rid of it. But would she? Yes, she had to; she couldn't cope with a baby. She was too young. Way too young.

What about Scipio? What would he think? Would she even tell him? Well, she had to, that much was obvious...Would he be angry? Blame it on her? Would he leave her, really leave her, for good? Would he deny that the baby was his?

Elaine couldn't have a baby. She just couldn't. They wouldn't be able to afford it, take care of it, raise it. She'd have to give it up for adoption, and then, later during her life, the child would be told she was adopted and given up in the first place because its mother didn't want her...

All of these thoughts are usually too much for a single person to comprehend in one moment, and Elaine felt her head begin to hurt. The room stared to spin in a kaleidoscopic blur and she felt sick again. She crawled over to the sink, in case her lunch came back up, but it didn't; after a moment, Elaine slumped back down to the floor.

Tears started to blind her vision and she tried, in vain, to blink them back. She had to be strong; if not for anyone else, for herself. But she couldn't stop herself when she started to cry, really cry, tears rolling down her cheeks, sobs shaking her entire body as she pulled her legs against her chest and laid her head on her knees.

There was a sudden knock at the door. "Anyone in there?" came Hornet's voice, and Elaine jumped. Before she had time to answer, however, Hornet had opened the door.

"Oh, God, sorry, I didn't know you were in - Elaine?" Hornet knelt down beside her friend, suddenly scared. She had never seen her fall apart like this and all sorts of horrible thoughts about what could be wrong entered her head. "Are you--what's wrong?"

Elaine just shook her head, unable to answer. She just didn't know what to say. Hornet edged around her, putting her arm across her shoulders, and at that moment, she spotted the pregnancy test, plus side up.

"Oh my God! How did...what...I..." she stammered, now in shock herself. "Elaine, you..." But she could find nothing to say. There was nothing _to_ say. Hornet just didn't know what to do. After mulling it over in her head for a bit, she said, in a very soft voice, "Come on, Elaine. It'll be okay." She helped her up and lead her out of the bathroom and up the stairs. Once reaching their room, Hornet helped her get her shoes off and helped her into her bed, pulling the sheets over her. For what seemed like days, the only sound was Elaine's sobbing and Hornet rubbing her back, whispering soothing words.

Finally, Elaine managed to choke out, "It's Scipio's."

Hornet nodded. She'd thought so. "It was that one night that we were all at the store and Bo and you were here, right? A few weeks ago?"

Elaine nodded, her eyes now red and puffy. She felt dehydrated, but somehow, her body still found a way to make the tears fall.

Usually, Hornet could find a way to comfort Elaine. But now, all she could do was rub her back and say that it would be okay, over and over again, as she cried herself to sleep.

* * *

Elaine didn't know what time it was when she woke up, but the darkness beyond the windows and in the room told her that it was night. She wasn't sure why she woke up: if it was the voices coming from downstairs or the fact that she really, really had to use the bathroom. Once she had emerged out of the bathroom, she left the room and looked over the railing, into the theatre.

She had almost expected it, but seeing Scipio, at last, surprised her. Elaine tucked a rebel strand of dark brown hair behind her ear as she surveyed the scene. Mosca, Prosper, and Riccio seemed to be a bit angry, while Hornet was looking at Scipio, obviously worried. Elaine thought she knew why.

She heard a door open from behind her and turned around. Bo had emerged from his and Prosper's room, rubbing his eyes and yawning. Elaine smiled at him as he asked, "What's happening?"

"Scipio's here," she said, as Bo came to stand next to her and look at what was happening, as well. After a moment, he asked,

"Why are they mad?"

"I don't know," she said thruthfully. The only thing that she could come up with was that they were acting like they were angry at Scipio for not coming to the Stella in over two weeks, but she knew them too well: they were really masking their relief.

Struck by a sudden yogurt craving, Elaine made her way down the stairs as quietly as she could, trying not to draw attention to herself and hoping Scipio wouldn't notice her, even though she knew that he would. Her stomach was tying itself into knot after knot, her heartbeat quickening as she drew nearer to the kitchen, which was right next to the theatre.

Elaine managed to make it in there without anyone noticing. She searched through the refrigerator and, to her relief, found a cup of blueberry yogurt. It was the last one, but for now, she was okay. After searching around the cabinets for a spoon and finding one, she opened the yogurt and quickly ate it, feeling unbelievably hungry all of a sudden. Elaine threw the empty yogurt container away, put the spoon in the sink, where she'd wash the rest of the dirty dishes later, and went into the theatre. Her heart was thudding at an incredible rate when Scipio spotted her and she said, abruptly, "Scipio, we need to talk."

Elaine felt a new sense of relief and another wave of nervousness when he nodded at her. She pointed her finger up the stairway to signal that she wanted to talk to him upstairs and quickly walked up the stairs, hearing him follow her. She opened the door to her and Hornet's room and turned on the lamp. Closing the door after her, she sat down on her bed with him and tried to calm herself down.

He was the first one to speak.

"Elaine, I'm sorry."

Elaine opened her mouth and shut it again; she hadn't expected that. "W-why?" she managed to choke out.

"For...well...you know...I mean, if you hate me now, I understand. But I had a reason for leaving."

"Yeah?" she said, suddenly angry at him all over again. "And what would _that_ be?"

Scipio stared at his hands. He had known it. She hated him. And now, she'd dislike him even more.

But he had to say it. He had to explain himself. If she was going to hate him, she was going to hate him, but he wasn't about to leave without explaining everything first.

"Well...my mom and dad got divorced when I was pretty young. I didn't ever see her again. But...my dad, he's still alive. Well, I mean, they both are, but...I still live with him."

Elaine just stared at him, one question in her mind. Anger was already starting to flow through her veins, but before it could really get to her, she asked, "You...where do you live?"

"Sage Boulevard."

Elaine gasped. Sage Boulevard was one of the richest neighborhoods in Venice. And if he lived there with his dad, that meant...

"I can't believe you!"

She stood up, furious with him, her voice raising as she repeated, "I can't believe you! You...oh my God...I can't believe..."

"Elaine, let me---" he began, but was cut off by her shrill remark:

"DON'T! Don't talk to me, _you fucking traitor_!" Elaine put her hands over her face, muttering, "I can't believe you...you've been lying to us...all this time...and...and that means that everything was stolen from your house, Scippy boy, was it?!"

Scipio nodded glumly. It wasn't the yelling that tugged at his heartstrings, it was the clear dissapointment in her voice.

"You...I can't...you've been lying to us! Oh...I just...God...the Thief Lord...all a bunch of lies...So you had to go home to your dad, did you, and leave me behind? What, you think he's more important than I am? I don't know about you, but I don't have sex with people and then just get up and leave all the damn time!"

"It's not that! It's...God, you don't understand..."

"Don't tell me I don't understand!"

"But you don't! Seriously, you don't understand! Do you know what my father's like when I can't get a fucking good grade, do you? Do you know how he'd react if he woke up and found me nowhere in the house?"

"I...I wasn't---"

"No, you don't know. Don't you even have any idea what my life is like? My father doesn't act like a father at all. He's always,_ always_ screaming at me for no reason whatsoever and blaming everything on me. Do you know what it's like when your own father tells you the reason he and your mom split up was because of you?"

"I...no, but..."

"Well, until you have any idea of what it's like, don't run around making accusations---"

Scipio suddenly stopped when he noticed a few tears roll down Elaine's face. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked away from him, lower lip trembling. He hadn't meant to make her cry, and instantly he felt bad for reacting the way he had. It was, as he was realising now, a rather harsh reply.

He stood up and walked over to her. Putting his arms around her, he said, "Elaine, I didn't mean to freak out like that."

"Izzokay," she managed to stutter.

"No, it isn't okay. It's just...I didn't mean to get mad. I'm sorry."

Elaine nodded and looked out the window. The moon was up, and it was a clear night. The moonlight reflected on the canals' murky waters and Venice looked, to underestimate it quite a bit, absoloutely beautiful.

"Scip?" she whispered.

"Yes?"

"I've...got something to say..."

"What is it?"

"Well...you might want to sit down."

Scipio sat down and Elaine curled up next to him. Staring at the floor, she said, "Scipio...I'm...p-pregnant."

Scipio's jaw fell open. The first thought that came to mind was, _Oh my God._

"And...and I know it's gotta be you, because you're the only one...you know..." her voice trailed off into the silence.

"Are you serious?" Scipio asked quietly.

"Of course I'm serious, Scipio, why would I lie about something like this?"

"You wouldn't, it's just...I can't believe it..."

"I know," she said, and started to cry again. "Scipio, I don't want to be a mom! I'm not ready for this kind of stuff!"

"I know, I know," he said, hugging her closer. "I...I'm scared too."

"Are we gonna keep it?"

"Well...I don't really know yet, Elaine...it's all kind of sudden..."

"Yeah, I know, but I can't get rid of it!" Elaine wailed, trembling. "I just can't! What if it grows up and its foster parents tell it its parents didn't want it and...and...and I don't want to put my kid in a foster home!"

She wiped her eyes and tried to stop her trembling. "P-please don't be mad..."

"I'm not mad," he sighed. "This wasn't anyone's fault. It's just...I'm scared."

Elaine nodded and scooted closer to Scipio. "I know. I am too. I was just thinking, though, that we can't afford a baby! I mean...well..." she trailed off and looked at Scipio. He certainly had money, but she'd forgotten about it for a moment.

"You know, I do have some money in the bank...I mean, a lot of it came from my grandpa, but my mom and dad put some in there too...well, before my dad started hating me and they split up. But it's just that..."

"Should we go through with this?" asked Elaine, finishing his sentence for him. "I mean, having a baby can cause emotional and physical problems and stuff and...and we're too young anyway..."

"Yeah, we are, but what do you think?"

"What do I think?" Elaine asked, astonished.

"Yeah."

"Well...I mean, even though I'm really scared...I think it'd be kind of nice to raise a kid. I mean," she quickly added, before Scipio could respond, "yeah, there'd be lots of problems, but I...I want to have this baby. Even though I just found out about it today, I already...I mean, this might sound kind of cheesy, but I already love it like a parent would. You know?" she said, giving him a sideways glance.

"Yeah. I know."

"What do you think, Scip?"

"Well, I think whatever you think. If you want to have this baby, then I'm with you all the way."

"Oh my God! Scipio! It's...oh my God...I love you!" she said, breaking out in fresh tears. It was the first time either of them had said it, but in that moment, they knew, all of a sudden, that it was ture.

Scipio smiled. "I love you too," he said, and leaned down to kiss her. This time it was short and sweet, unlike their first kiss, but it contained the same amount of love and passion. "We'll figure something out to do about this," he said, breaking apart from her. "Don't worry."

They lapsed into silence once more and looked out at Venice. And, that night, a new life begun - for all three of them.

* * *

Author's Notes: Aww, how cute! Heehee. I know that Scipio's reply was kind of harsh, but oh well. Reviews are loved!


	10. Chapter 9

Author's Notes: Thankies! I'm glad you thought it was all pretty realistic; that's always been my goal in writing. However, most of it was just based on real-life expeirience because one of my friends was once in a situation similar to Elaine's and I was there both when she went to the doctor and found out she was expecting and also there when she told her parents. So that's where that comes from.  
Here's the next chapter! Sorry it took longer than usual to get it up, but school's been keeping me busy. I was going to post it last night, but I was pretty much falling asleep over the keyboard. It's not as long (well, that previous chapter was 2,690 words long, and usually I don't write that much for one chapter) and there's not as much excitement going on, but some important things happen in it, so I think it's worth a read. Enjoy!

* * *

"Scipio, does this dress make me look fat?"

"No, Elaine, it doesn't," said an exasperated Scipio for the umpteenth time. "Are you ready to go now?"

"No, I gotta get my shoes," said Elaine, and before Scipio could say anything else, Elaine had disappeared into the stairwell. Scipio threw his hands up in surrender and, from the seat next to him, Prosper grinned.

"Women," he said, getting a punch in the arm as a reply.

Upstairs, Elaine was busy trying to get on her shoes. Hornet watched her, smiling as she asked, "So, Elaine, are you going to tell him tonight?"

Elaine looked up. "Yes. I will." She hated to lie like this, but Hornet would find out the truth soon. Very soon.

Three weeks had passed, and, besides Elaine's ongoing pregnancy, not much had changed in the Stella. Elaine's stomach was still flat, the other people in the Stella didn't know about Scipio's father, and Hornet didn't know that Elaine had, indeed, told Scipio about his impending fatherhood. She feared that it would lead, somehow, to Scipio's father, so she kept quiet about the whole thing. Scipio would tell them all the truth about his father and home soon, but kept putting it off, because he knew they would be angry.

"Well, have fun on your hot date," teased Hornet as Elaine exited the room. Elaine stuck her tongue out at her and walked down the stairs, where Scipio was waiting.

The night was slightly warm but not hot in the least, and a few clouds decorated the star-filled sky. Elaine put her hand in Scipio's and the young parents-to-be made their way down the alley and across a few streets and bridges. Scipio was taking Elaine to a fancy restraunt, but, since the other residents of the Stella didn't know about the money he had, they all thought they were simply going to a bookstore and for a walk around Venice.

A very feminine-looking waiter greeted them and led them to their table. Once seated, Elaine looked over the menu several times, looking for the one thing she'd been craving lately: ravioli. After finding it, she and Scipio ordered their meals and Elaine got a good look around the restraunt. There were a few other couples and one old woman who was chewing on her food slowly, looking down at her plate; it was obvious her mind was somewhere far, far away. They were on the second floor and their booth was next to a window, which showed Venice in all of its glittering glory. Elaine smiled, remembering the night three weeks ago when it had looked similar to this and she'd told Scipio of her pregnancy.

"Wow, Scip, this place is amazing," she said.

Scipio smiled sheepishly and replied, "It was the least I could do."

They thought in silence for a few moments more before they both spoke at the same time:

"Elaine, I've been thinking, and--"

"If it wouldn't be too much to ask, I--"

They stopped and looked at each other. "You go first," said Scipio.

"Well, I mean, I was thinking that I could go in for a doctor's appointment sometime. I mean, if it's not too much to ask. Even though I don't think there's anything wrong, I would just like to check. But I don't want you to waste all your money on me," Elaine added hastily.

"A doctor's appointment. Hm. You mean like an ultrasound?"

"Yeah."

"Well, when you say wasting all my money on you -- I mean, I don't call it wasting. And anyway, this is also for our baby, so I think it's a pretty good idea. Plus, I'd like to make sure everything's okay too."

Their waiter returned with their food and they ate silently for a few minutes. Finally, Elaine asked, "So what was it that you were going to say?"

Scipio hesitantly answered, "Well, the Stella really isn't the place to raise a baby. So, I thought that all of us - that is, you, me, Hornet, Prosper, Mosca, Riccio, and Bo - could all move into a house miles away from here. I mean, eventually, some of them would move out - and you know how Mosca wants to find his dad - so we'd have enough room. And in the meantime, well, I have enough money to buy us a big enough house. I think we could just leave Venice and find a house somewhere. I wouldn't have to tell my dad because I don't want him to know and since I'm over eighteen, I can't legally be listed as a runaway. What do you think?"

"I think it sounds like something straight out of a gushy love story."

At that, they both started to laugh. After letting out a last giggle, Elaine said, "Seriously, I think it's a great idea. But where would we move?"

"Where do you want to move?"

"Where do I want--in what area?"

"Anywhere."

"Anywhere? God, Scipio, that's---"

"No, I don't mean anywhere, but---"

"How about London?"

Scipio thought this over. "London. Are you sure?"

"Yes. What, is something wrong?"

"No, there's not. If you want to move to London, then we're moving to London. Anyway, I want to be as far away from my father as possible in case he comes looking for me."

"London. We're really gonna move to London? I mean, I know that you're pretty much...well...rich, but are you sure we can really afford that?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Okay, well..." Elaine hesitated. She had little doubt that Scipio could, indeed afford a big house in London, but she still thought it would be an awful lot of money that he would be spending. "I have some money in the bank too, so I think I could help pitch in."

"You don't have to."

"I know I don't have to, but I want to."

They finished their dinner, paid the bill, and went for a walk around Venice. The two looked at art in museums, watched a film-making contest that was going on at some highschool, and, when two middle-aged men started playing old love songs on the street for tips, enjoyed a slowdance under the moonlight. Finally, they went to a bookstore, where Elaine bought Hornet and herself a few books. While she was there, Scipio surprised her by buying her a book called "What To Expect When You're Expecting", which was, of course, a book all about pregnancy and what went on during it. Elaine thanked him by nearly cracking his ribs in half with a hug, and he merely smiled.

They decided to call it a night and Scipio took her back to the Stella. They said their good-byes and went their own ways. Nearly everyone was asleep when Elaine walked in. Everyone besides Hornet.

"So? Did you tell him?"

"Err...no..."

"Aww, come on, Elaine! It's been...what, a few weeks now?"

"Yeah..."

"And you've seen him how many times since then?"

Elaine didn't answer.

"See what I mean?"

"Yeah...well, he said he's coming tomorrow night, so I'll tell him then."

"Promise?"

"Yes. I promise, Hornet."

Elaine dug around in the plastic bag from the bookstore and handed a few of the books to Hornet. "I saw these in the bookstore and I thought you'd like them."

"Ooo, thanks!" Hornet happily settled down in her bed and opened one of them. As she began to read, Elaine got under her bedsheets and moved her hand down to her stomach. It seemed amazing, even now, that a tiny new life was growing inside of her. A tiny new life that would have a big house to live in! thought Elaine, suddenly remembering what Scipio had said over dinner. London...

Elaine drifted off into a sweet slumber, dreaming of her future son or daughter and house. Yes, life would be good from now on...

* * *

Author's Notes: Yeah, I know that things moved a bit fast in this chapter, but I kind of suck at letting things lead up to other things, so there you go.

Reviews love.


	11. Chapter 10

The next morning greeted Elaine with her usual sickness, but today, she felt worse than usual. Wetting a cloth with water from the sink and pressing it to her forehead, she was surprised to find Hornet up and reading the same book she'd been reading the previous night. 

"Have you been reading that all night?" she asked, the first thought to come to mind.

Hornet laughed. "No, silly, I haven't. I've been awake for about half an hour, but you didn't notice me when you went into the bathroom."

Elaine nodded, feeling more tired than usual; she laid down on her bed and said, "God, I feel like crap." This was true: she was dizzy, nauseated, and had an awful headache.

Hornet looked over at her with concern. "Are you going to be okay?"

Elaine managed to smile faintly. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Sometimes I just feel really bad, and sometimes I don't. It changes up a bit."

Her braided friend nodded, still looking a bit worried. "Well, tell me if you need anything, okay?"

"Okay," Elaine mumbled, exhausted by now. She curled up under her sheets and closed her eyes.

The next thing she knew, she had woken up to find herself alone in the room. Hornet's angry voice was in the hallway: "Fine then, Riccio. Do whatever you want to friggin' do, but when you end up injuring yourself, don't come crying to me!" Hornet opened the door, her facial expression furious, and looked ready to kill when she spotted Elaine. She slapped herself on the forehead and said, "Oh, God, I'm sorry. I forgot you were asleep. Did I wake you up?"

"No," Elaine lied, sitting up. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," said Hornet, settling her firmly onto her bed and glaring at the closed door. "It's just that Riccio can be so...ugh! I can't stand him!"

Elaine doubted that 'nothing' led to an argument between Hornet and Riccio, but she knew how horribly annoying he could be at times. She nodded sympathetically and looked at the clock. It was now 1:02 in the afternoon.

"Do you want some lunch?" asked Hornet. "Bo demanded that we make macaroni, but besides that we've got sandwiches and grapes."

"Sure," responded Elaine. "I'm starving."

After combing her hair and changing her clothes, Elaine went down into the kitchen. Once she'd gotten herself some food, she went into the theatre to eat it. Mosca and Riccio were busy doing something or other to Mosca's radio, and Prosper and Bo were throwing a rubber ball to each other. Elaine was going to read a book when she'd finished her lunch, but when she was washing the dishes, Hornet pulled her aside.

"So?" she asked. "Are you going to tell Scipio? When he comes here tonight? He usually comes at about 10-ish, as you know..."

Elaine could have slapped herself. Of course! Now she knew what she'd forgotten. Scipio was coming tonight, and this night, he would tell them about his father and the house they would be buying. Elaine would also be telling them all about the baby. She looked at Hornet now, and imagined her reaction to Scipio's secret...

No, she didn't want to think about that yet.

"Yes, Hornet."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Really sure?"

"Yes."

"Positive?"

Elaine gave her a look. "Hornet.

"Okay, okay, just checking."

Elaine spent the rest of the day cleaning the Stella. She knew it wasn't much use, because it had been dirty for so long and they would be moving out soon, but she just felt like cleaning. She tackled two of the bathrooms and Riccio and Mosca's room, and was working on the kitchen when she heard a knock at the door.

_Oh, God._

Knowing exactly who it was, with a sense of dread rising in her stomach, Elaine wiped her hands off with a towel and saw Mosca go to answer the door. Her insides were squirming as she saw Scipio and Mosca walk into the theatre; Scipio was saying something.

When he saw her, Scipio walked over to her and said quietly, so only she could hear, "I'm about to tell them. Can you go get Prosper, Hornet, and Riccio? I don't think Bo should be in on this."

Elaine nodded and went up the stairs. "Hornet? Prosper? Riccio? Come on downstairs; Scipio's here and he needs to tell you something."

The three teenagers came out of their rooms and followed Elaine down the stairs. Scipio was sitting on the stage and Mosca was sitting on the floor below him. Elaine joined Scipio on the stage as the other three sat on the floor and looked over at him. She could see the fear in his face, and she smiled at him and gave his hand a squeeze, at the same time knowing a disaster would soon strike.

"Well, you all," Scipio began. "You're going to hate me, but..."

* * *

"I can't believe you!" shouted Riccio, hurt and betrayal etched onto his face. "Thief Lord - nothing but a lie! You're such a phony!"

Around the room, general replies along the same lines were being echoed. Elaine looked over at Scipio again, seeing the sadness in his face, and scooted closer to him. After a few minutes of waiting for the chaos to die down, she began loudly, "Well, we're planning to move to London, because--"

"London! London! You're moving to London and just leaving us behind?" Elaine was not surprised to hear the tears in Prosper's voice and guilt settled over her.

"No, we're not leaving you behind. Actually, we were planning to bring you all along and live in a house together."

Riccio, who was just about to say another nasty remark, stopped in mid-thought. He hadn't been expecting that. "Why?" he asked.

"Because I'm pregnant, Riccio. Are you happy now?"

Everyone besides Hornet's mouths fell open and their eyes opened. "Oh my -- are you serious?!" exclaimed Mosca. Elaine smiled at him and nodded.

"But...you...it's Scipio's, isn't it?" asked Riccio.

Elaine replied, rather angrily, "Yes, Riccio, do you really think that---?"

"No, I don't, but...I just..."

They all let Riccio stammer himself into silence. There was no sound for a while, besides everyone's breathing. Prosper finally said, "Well, I guess things are going to change now, aren't they?"

Elaine looked down at them all. Even if they were angry at Scipio, she knew it would fade eventually. They were her friends, and always would be. "Yes, Prosper, they are."


	12. Chapter 11

Author's Notes: Thank you, thank you very much. I'm glad to hear that you still like it.

Oh, by the way, I got the information that Elaine reads out of her pregnancy book off of some website, so kudos to them!

* * *

_One month later..._

"Riccio! Are you done packing up your stuff yet?" Elaine called up the stairs. She waited a moment for an answer that never came. Typical Riccio.

Rolling her eyes, she turned to Prosper, whom, she had just realised, was standing next to her. "Oh, hi, Prosper, I didn't see you there. Are you ready to go?"

Prosper nodded. "Yeah, pretty much. I'll go get Riccio."

Elaine watched him go up the stairs and walked across the theatre, where Mosca was attempting to stuff a pile of clothes in a suitcase. "One second, Mosca," she said, and took the clothes from his hands. After managing to neatly put it away in his suitcase, Elaine sat down on one of the seats, by her own suitcase, and waited for everyone else to get their things together.

Finally, a few minutes later, everyone was standing around the Stella, bags packed and ready for the trip that was before them. As they left the Stella, they all lingered, even though they knew they were almost late for the boat they'd be taking to the train station. This would be the last time they'd see the Stella for a while. Elaine felt suddenly emotional; the Stella had been her home, her true home, and now she was leaving it. But, after a moment of looking at the old theatre in silence, she knew that what she would be going to would be just as much of the home as the Stella had been. So, somehow, she found herself able to turn away and walk alongside Scipio towards the boat station.

The boat they were on, the Grande Pesce, was full of people this warm, sunny morning: Elaine watched them all walk around, read, talk, look at their watches, or do whatever else they could do to keep themselves busy. She was reminded of a beehive.

As they traveled away from Venice, Bo waved back at the town and yelled loudly, "BYE!" They all laughed and watched Venice slowly shrink away from them, the morning breeze fresh on their faces.

Once the Grande Pesce had taken them all to the train station, they departed from it as quickly as possibly, trying to beat the huge crowd behind them, and clambered onto their train. Scipio, Hornet, and Elaine shared a compartment while Prosper, Riccio, Mosca, and Bo were in another a few compartments down.

The hours passed uneventfully. Finally, when Elaine couldn't handle her boredom any longer, she opened up "What To Expect When You're Expecting." After flipping through the pages, she found what she was looking for and said, "Scip, look at this." Scipio looked on the page she was pointing at as she read aloud, "During pregnancy week 7 your baby will grow tremendously, up to 13 mm in length. Your baby is quite close to the size of a large blueberry or small grape by 7 weeks pregnant." She trailed off, staring at the rest of the page. "Huh. The size of a small grape? That's actually pretty tiny."

"Yeah, it is," said Hornet, who had been listening to Elaine read. "Especially when it'll be baby-sized about seven or eight months from now."

Elaine looked down at her stomach. It was still flat, but over the past few weeks, tiny changes had already appeared on her body, something that you could barely notice, only if you knew her well. She imagined her stomach getting bigger and bigger as her pregnancy progressed, and said, "I am going to get so huge, it won't even be funny. Our house will be bursting at the seams!"

"It will not," said Scipio, putting his arms around her and giving her cheek a peck.

"Yes it will! I'm going to be the size of a blimp just a few months from now!" Elaine wasn't looking forward to being - and feeling - huge, but she had a smile on her face.

"And you'll be just as beautiful as ever!" said Scipio, laughing a bit as Elaine stuck her tongue out at him and continued to complain. Hornet watched them both and smiled. She knew they would make great parents, and, when that baby had joined them, an even better family.

* * *

"Wake up, Elaine! We're here, we're here, we're here!"

A groggy Elaine sat up in her seat and yawned, rubbing her eyes. When she opened them, she saw Bo standing up and looking at her, a huge grin on his face. Outside of the window, it was dark, and she could tell it was probably quite late.

"We're here! We're in London!" said Bo again, pulling on her arm and out to the hallway. Everyone was busy getting their bags, and Prosper handed Elaine hers.

"What time is it?" she asked Scipio when he suddenly appeared at her side. He looked at his watch and told her it was 11:32 P.M. Even so, she felt rested; she'd been asleep for the past few hours and the excitement of everything woke her up.

It was a bit of a hassle to get out of the train station, but sooner or later they all found themselves taking two cabs to the new house. Elaine looked out of the window at the city life: brightly lit buildings towered above the streets, citizens made their way down the sidewalks, venders tried to sell things to tourists. There were no canals, as Elaine had already known, but the absence of them was hard to get used to.

About ten or so minutes later, the cab stopped. After paying the driver the money, they clambered out of the taxi and were suddenly facing a big two-story house. Its walls were made of brick, and many windows showed them the empty rooms inside.

_Wow,_ thought Elaine. Like Scipio had said, there was plenty of room for all of them and a baby. She looked over at him, and saw him smiling over at her.

"This is huge, Scipio. God. I'm gonna get lost in here," said Mosca from behind them.

"I know. Geez, you're going to have to send out a search party whenever I leave a room," said Prosper, staring up at the house in awe.

They walked up to the house with their things and went inside. There was no furniture besides the few matresses they'd bought with them; it would be a very long week of shopping for furniture. They headed up the wooden stairs to the second floor to have a look around. Upstairs, there were three rooms, which they decided would be two bedrooms and the nursery, while the rest of the bedrooms would be downstairs. Everyone but Elaine and Scipio headed back down the stairs to decide who would get what room. Elaine opened the curtains on the window in the room that Scipio and herself had decided would be their bedroom and was surprised to see that it had a beautiful view of London, showing each building in all its glory.

"Scip, you never cease to amaze me," she said, smiling as she looked at London. Her boyfriend smiled back and joined her at the window.

"I'm hoping that's a good thing," he said.

"Oh, yes, it is. A very good thing."

Elaine looked out of the window for a few more moments, and then turned to face Scipio. "Well, I can't believe we're really here. London. God, I'm going to miss Venice."

"I know. I'm going to miss Venice, too." Scipio wrapped his arms around her and said, "But in a way, I'm glad we're here. Venice was - and still is - a great place. But sometimes you've got to leave behind something good and go to something better, or what you think will be better, anyway. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah." Elaine looked at his face, away from the window, as he bent down slightly to kiss her. She put her head on his chest and looked out of the window again, holding him close. "I know."

* * *

Author's Notes: I don't really like this chapter, but meh. I hope you did. Yes, I know that things moved fast again, but like I said, I'm a very impatient person. 

Review, please!


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Author's Notes: Thankies! I couldn't find any other adjective, so I just put baby-sized. Even though I don't think that's a real word. Lol.  
This chapter is kind of...not so great as well. And it's super-duper short. I currently have quite a bit of writer's block and I didn't really know what to write. Sorry about that! Hope you like it!

The next Saturday, Scipio and Elaine were in the doctor's office awaiting Elaine's first ultrasound. Elaine was pretending to read some celebrity magazine or another while squeezing the life out of the stress ball she'd bought earlier in the week. Scipio was just sitting next to her, unsure of what to say or do: he was just as nervous as she was.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, a friendly-looking, round-faced young doctor by the name of Mariam Cooke called them in. Elaine put the magazine back on the end table she'd found it on and followed Dr. Cooke to her office, Scipio trailing after them.

"So, Elaine," said Dr. Cooke, smiling as Elaine sat down. "And Scipio. How have things been going?"

"Um," said Elaine, looking over at Scipio. "Pretty good, I guess. We just moved into a new house and we've been busy getting the furniture and stuff."

"Yeah," said Scipio. "We moved to London about a week ago. Everything's been okay so far."

"How do you feel, Elaine?" Dr. Cooke was shuffling through a nearby cabinet that she was sitting next to. "Morning sickness pretty bad?"

"Well, it could be worse. I mean, yeah, I throw up and stuff every day, but it's not completely terrible. I've been acting kind of crabby lately and sometimes I get over-emotional because of the stupidest things. And even though Scipio's with me and we have enough money and stuff, I'm kind of...well...scared, I guess you could say."

Dr. Cooke nodded. "That's perfectly normal. Having a baby, especially so young, takes a lot. It's a pretty scary thing. Being a parent comes with physical, emotional, and financial problems." She pulled out an orange sheet of paper and handed it to Elaine. "There's plenty of teen pregnancy support groups around here, Lamaze classes, things like that. You can find their locations on that sheet of paper."

Elaine nodded her thanks and handed the paper to Scipio. Dr. Cooke now had a clear jar of what seemed to be blue gel in her hand and was opening it up. "Now, I've got to warn you, this will feel a little cold," she said, lifting Elaine's shirt up slightly and putting the gel on her stomach. Elaine flinched as she felt the cool gel touch her skin, but didn't say anything about it. Next, Dr. Cooke took out her probe and moved it around Elaine's stomach. All three of them watched the screen, looking, looking...

"Ah! There it is," said Dr. Cooke, smiling and pointing to a tiny white spot on the screen. A warm, happy glow erupted in Elaine, seeing her future son or daughter there, even if he or she was just a little speck. She looked over at Scipio and saw that he was smiling; their eyes met and Scipio slid his hand over hers.

"Yep, everything's okay," Dr. Cooke said after a minute. "Any questions or concerns?"

"Umm...no," said Elaine after a moment. "Scipio?"

"No, not right now."

"Okay, well, if you ever have any questions, be sure to call me." Dr. Cooke handed Scipio a business card and smiled at the young couple. "Nice to meet you two!"

While Scipio was busy scheduling Elaine's next ultrasound, Elaine looked at the picture Dr. Cooke had printed out for her. It was of the baby, and as Elaine looked at the tiny speck of white, she felt excitement rush through her veins. She looked over at Scipio and knew, that as long as he was by her side, everything would be just fine. 


	14. Chapter 13

Author's Notes: Aww, thank you.

Well, I've still got writer's block, but this chapter is a bit longer, at the least, so I hope you like it. 'N-joy!

* * *

The next two weeks were very busy in the household, as new furniture was still being bought and moved around. Everyone, especially Prosper, Mosca, Riccio, and Scipio were always doing something, and at the end of the day, they were all exhausted.

During one rare amount of time when Scipio wasn't doing anything, he opened the bathroom door to find Elaine sitting beside the toilet, clutching her stomach; she was rather pale, and, as he watched, she leaned over and the rest of her lunch came back up.

"God, I hate this," she said, voice shaking. "I'm tired of being sick and throwing up and feeling gross all the time." Elaine pulled her legs against her chest as Scipio wet a rag and pressed it to her face, feeling suddenly guilty: he'd been so busy with doing stuff to their new house lately he hadn't been spending a lot of time with her.

"I'm sorry," he said as a tear rolled down her cheek. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

She smiled sadly at him. "No, there's not. But thank you anyway. My book says it's normal to feel like this but it doesn't mean I can't hate it. God. I can't wait 'till this is over."

They sat in silence, staring at the floor. Elaine felt suddenly starving, but she had a feeling that she could barely keep anything down right now. Ugh. She'd heard all sorts of morning sickness horror stories, but was just starting to realise it was one of those things that you had to personally go though to know how bad it really was.

Her thoughts suddenly shifted to her parents, who didn't know anything about their future grandchild: she hadn't spoken to them in nearly a year. Elaine wasn't quite sure if she wanted them to know. It wasn't like they were bad people, but they'd never had the close bond parents and children were supposed to have. Besides, it always seemed like they were more interested in their jobs and materialistic things than her.

She was very surprised to find out she still remembered their phone number after all this time and, for a second, wondered what would happen if she called them, wondered what they'd say, what they'd think---

These thoughts were promptly interrupted as she felt another wave of nausea, but it was gone as quickly as it had come. False alarm. She looked over at Scipio, who was gazing at the wall, thinking about something or other, and said, "Scipio?"

He didn't answer. "Scipio? Hellooo?"

Scipio jumped a bit and turned to Elaine. "What?"

"Is the wall really that interesting?"

He smiled, slightly embarassed. "No. I was just thinking about...but nevermind."

"What?"

"Nothing."

_"What?"_

"Well...actually, it's...it's not really that easy for me to explain, but I keep feeling like something's going to go wrong. I mean, after all that's happened to us so far, everything's just too easy. All of a sudden we've got a nice house and enough money and it's just...too easy."

"I know what you mean. I've been thinking that lately, too. But...I think everything will be okay. I can't see into the future or anything, but I've got a good feeling about everything."

"Yeah."

Again, there was silence, and Scipio stood up. "Would you like to see the living room?"

"What?"

"The living room. We've just about got everything in there."

"Sure."

Scipio pulled her up from the floor and they left the bathroom and went downstairs. In the living room, several sofas, chairs, tables, bookcases, and just about everything else you'd find in a living room were scattered throughout the room. Pointing to the mantlepiece above the fireplace, Elaine said, "We so need a wide-screen TV right here."

Scipio laughed and replied, "We'll have to wait and see about that."

Overall, Elaine liked it, even though it had that not lived-in look to it. She imagined pictures lining the walls, shoes thrown clumsily on the floor, trash scattered on the coffee tables. With so many people living in the house, she knew that her vision would become real quite soon.

The day passed in a normal, somewhat boring fashion, the night following it as it usually did and going by in the same manner. Sometime just before the sun rose, Elaine was awoken by an intense craving for milk and went down the stairs as quietly as she could.

She didn't notice Riccio sitting in the living room when she walked through it. When she went to sit down on one of the sofas, she suddenly spotted him and nearly spilled her glass of milk.

"Riccio, why in the world are you up so early?" Elaine asked him after getting over her surprise and sitting on the sofa next to him. She couldn't ever remember him being awake before 11:30 A.M., at the earliest.

"I dunno. Couldn't sleep."

Elaine nodded; she knew how that was. She sipped on her milk in silence until she noticed a newspaper sitting on the floor nearby.

"Isn't it a bit early for the newspaper to come?" she asked, bending over slightly to pick it up. She looked at the date. "Oh, nevermind, this is from yesterday."

After a bit, Riccio left the room to try to go back to sleep. Still tired, Elaine read through the newspaper. There wasn't anything that interesting in there, just some celebration of something and a robbery at a local store. Elaine decided to read about the robbery, being suddenly reminded of her days at the Stella.

_..."It was the strangest thing, I was just shopping for food and all of a sudden I hear someone come in the door and someone else scream. So I turn around and at the cash register, there's this guy pointing a gun at the cashier and demanding money. I couldn't see his face..." says witness Madalyn Bronfield._

The article went on to say that the suspected robber had not been found and was asking people to call in the police station if they thought they knew the person, but Elaine didn't read that bit. Her mouth had gone dry as she re-read the witness's name, and again, and again. There was no doubt about it, no doubt that it said the name of one of her best friends from highschool.

And, if this was a local newspaper (Elaine checked the cover and was delighted to see that it was) that meant Madalyn lived nearby. They hadn't talked in such a long time, and Elaine longed to hear her voice again, to visit her, even. A reminder of the person she'd once been.

It was much too early to go searching for Madalyn's phone number, and all morning, Elaine paced the house with a sense of excitement and anxiety. Finally, sometime during the early afternoon, when she thought Madalyn was most likely awake, she explained to Scipio what she was doing and called the operator.

"Hello, which number would you like to find?" a voice said on the other end after a moment.

"Madalyn Bronfield, please."

_Ring...ring...ring..._

"Hello?"

That voice. Even after all this time, she still remembered exactly how it sounded, how it sounded calm and even when she was content, how it started getting all high-pitched when she was nervous, low when she was angry. Hearing it was startling, at first.

"Madalyn? Is that you?"

"Yeah." She sounded confused as she asked, "Who's this?"

"It's Elaine! You know, Elaine Vieri? From school? I haven't talked to you in forever!"

"Oh my GOD! ELAINE! Where are you? What's been going on? Your mom woke up one morning and you were gone! We didn't know what happened!"

"It's a really long story, but I've been just fine. What about you?"

"I've been okay. Where do you live?"

"London. I saw your name in the newspaper and I had no idea you lived so close by!"

"You did? God, I can't believe I almost forgot about that. Are you busy today?"

"Uh...not today, I don't think. Why?"

"Well, I don't have anything planned either. Can you come over to my house?"

"Sure! I'd love to see you. But, uh...can you come pick me up? I just moved here and I don't have a car yet..."

"Of course!"

After Elaine gave Madalyn her adress, she hung up because she wasn't feeling too good. Madalyn would be coming to pick her up in about an hour so they could catch up on each other's lives and just visit. Elaine couldn't contain her excitement. She couldn't believe it!

Suddenly, London started feeling a lot more like home...


	15. Chapter 14

Author's Notes: Eeee, thank you! Your comments make me smile. InkySubstance, rest assured, there will be no miscarriages.  
This chapter moves kind of fast, and it's a little...boring. Sorry about that! Hope you like it anyway!  
Enjoy...

* * *

There was a knock at the door and Elaine, who'd been standing by it for the past twenty minutes, opened it. Immediately, she was nearly squeezed to death by a strong hug.

"Elaine! I can't believe it's really you! You look great! And so does this house!"

Madalyn let Elaine go and beamed at her, looking ready to cry from happiness. She looked very much the same as Elaine remembered her: her dark red hair was still short and compulsively tucked behind her ear, she still had what seemed like a million freckles, still had those beautiful hazel eyes Elaine remembered so well. The only difference was that Madalyn seemed to be slightly taller and she had a somewhat serious expression very much unlike she usually did.

"Thank you!" said Elaine, smiling back at Madalyn. "God, you've gotten taller! Geez, you were already too tall the last time I saw you, and look at you now!"

Madalyn smiled even wider and nodded her thanks. "So, are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, one second, I gotta say bye. Oh, you can come in, if you want," Elaine added quickly, wondering where her manners went.

Elaine went into the kitchen, where Scipio was sitting at the table looking at a magazine, and told him, "Madalyn's here. I'll be over at her house for a while. You can meet her later, she's really nice."

Scipio nodded. "I'll be sure to. Have a good time!" They hugged good-bye and Elaine went back to the living room, where Madalyn was looking around, and followed her out of the door and into her car.

"Since when have you lived here? I didn't know anyone lived in that house," said Madalyn as she drove through a rather busy street.

"Umm...about three weeks or so, actually. We just moved here."

"We...who else lives with you?"

"Well, a bunch of other people. Scipio, Bo, Prosper, Riccio, and Mosca."

"Isn't Bo that blonde kid who was jumping on the couch when I came in?"

"Yeah."

"Oh." Madalyn hesitated, then said slowly, "Is he your...you know...son?"

"Son? Oh, no. He's Prosper's little brother."

"And who would Prosper be?"

"I'll tell you in a minute," said Elaine as they pulled up to a small house with a very nice-looking garden in front of it. "This is your house, right?" she asked, realising how stupid the question sounded when spoken aloud.

"Yes, it is. Sorry it's kind of...well, it doesn't look as good as your house." The two women had gotten out of the car and Madalyn was now unlocking the door with a copper key. She looked slightly embarrassed.

"No, it looks fine! I like the garden."

"Well, thanks," said Madalyn, just as the lock clicked and she opened the door.

Inside, there was a somewhat messy living room that had the look of it just being hastily cleaned. An orange cat was stretching out on an armchair as they walked in, and Madalyn shooed it away as they passed.

"Do you want anything to drink? I've got tea, coffee, soda, orange juice, milk...Or do you want something to eat? I---"

"Just tea, please," said Elaine, sitting down on the couch after Madalyn had beckoned to it. There was some clattering around in the kitchen and Madalyn emerged out of it a minute later holding two cups of tea. She handed one to Elaine, then sat down next to her and asked, "So, where have you been? What happened? All of a sudden, your mom said you just weren't anywhere to be found! We thought you might have been kidnapped or something!"

"Well, like I said, it's a pretty long story..."

Elaine told Madalyn everything, from the night she ran away up to this point. She left out the part about her pregnancy, though; that would be a surprise for later.

"Oh my God!" said Madalyn, mouth slightly open. "It sounds just like some kind of adventure movie! Staying in an abandoned movie theatre, stealing things...You've been through a lot, haven't you?"

"Yeah...I have. And listen, that's not all..."

Elaine announced her news abruptly and quite randomly. Madalyn's eyes widened as she exclaimed, "You're WHAT?!" She looked down at Elaine's stomach, which was still just the same way it had been before Elaine had gotten pregnant. "You're not even showing yet."

"Yeah, well, that's because the doctor says I'm only about two and a half months along. She says I should start gaining a lot of weight this week, though."

There was silence. "Wow." Madalyn was still staring at Elaine's stomach. "Wow. That's amazing."

"I know, isn't it?"

Again, there was silence. Then Madalyn asked, "So, is it one or two babies you're having...or more?"

"Just one."

"One. That's going to be one beautiful baby. You haven't started building the nursery, right?"

"No. I mean, it's always good to get a head start on things, but...maybe not this kind of thing. You know. Just in case..."

Just in case. Those words had haunted her for the past few weeks. Even though Dr. Cooke had told her many times that the baby was just fine and there was little chance of a miscarriage, Elaine was scared. Terrified, even. It was at the smallest stomachache or feeling dizzy that she suddenly couldn't sleep, couldn't think clearly, couldn't do anything without a million 'What if?'s swirling around her head. She knew the anxiety wasn't good for the baby, but she couldn't help it.

"Well, I'm sure everything will be okay. I can see where you're worried, but don't be," Madalyn was saying. "And you're...two and a half months along, you said?" she asked. Elaine nodded. "I've heard that after about three months your risk of miscarriage goes down a lot, so you don't really have that far to go until then."

"Yeah, I know. But still..."

There was an uncomfortable pause, suddenly, and after a moment, Madalyn said hesitantly, "Well...this is really off the topic...but...that night you ran away...was that the night when...you know...was that the night when Remy...well..."

"Yeah." Elaine knew they were getting into sticky territory, but there was no way out of it and, bizarrely enough, even though it hurt, she wanted to talk about it.

"Oh. I didn't find out about you leaving until about a day or two until after it happened, so I was just wondering..."

Elaine nodded. "Hey, um, Madalyn? I know that it's a really...sad thing, but...I think...we need to talk...about Remy."

And, even though she was trying everything in her will to block the images of that fateful night one year ago, they just kept coming back...

* * *

_"Elaine! Wait up!" the sixteen-year-old shouted, running after her friend as fast as she could with the heavy bookbag on her back, long blonde hair flowing back into the wind. Elaine halted and turned around, arms crossed over her chest, eyes flickering with impatience._

_"Come on, Remy, I'm going to be late! You know I've gotta go to my grandma's retirement house and they only have special visiting hours."_

_"Well, then why don't you ever drive home?" Remy painted, finally having caught up with Elaine. The two walked across the school's busy courtyard. The rather irritating calls of birds rang out from every corner and buzzing bees crawled over the newly bloomed flowers. Spring was always a very lively, colorful time in their small town, even when everyone got colds._

_"Because my car's in the repair shop, which I've only told you a hundred times because you never listen---"_

_"Oh, yeah, I remember that. Well, geez, woman, no need to get all mad at me for forgetting for one second."_

_"I was not getting mad."_

_"Yes, you were."_

_"Was not."_

_"Was too."_

_"Was not."_

_"Was too."_

_"Remy," said Elaine suddenly, "I was not getting mad. This conversation is over."_

_"But--"_

_"Over."_

_Remy glared at Elaine and, when she wasn't looking, stuck her tongue out at her. "Okay, then. But I was still---"_

_"Remy."_

_"Alright, I'll stop."_

_The two teenagers walked down several streets towards their houses in silence. After a minute or so, Elaine said, "So, did you get the notes in Chemistry?"_

_"Well...I mean...I got the first half, and then I got some of lesson two---"_

_"Yep. I knew it."_

_"Knew what?"_

_"That you didn't get all the notes. You never do."_

_Remy said, "I do not! I mean...I do...or...however you say it..."_

_Elaine burst into laughter. Remy stuck her nose in the air, faking insult, and pranced down the street, leaving Elaine behind._

_"Hey! Come back! I'm sorry, alright? You just write really slow, that's all."_

_Remy shoved her friend playfully and said, "Well, anyway, when you get back, can you go over to my house and give me the rest of the notes?"_

_"Sure. I think I'll be back at around...five...ish...is that okay with you?"_

_"Yeah. Just fine. I'll see you later, okay?" said Remy. They'd met a fork in the road and she was going down one street while Elaine went down the other._

_"Bye."_

_When Elaine walked into her house's kitchen, her mother, which too much makeup and too short a skirt on as usual was just hanging up the phone. She sighed in frustration and turned around to face Elaine, who was staring at her and wondering what had happened._

_"Oh, hello, hun. Would you like some pizza? We just got some." Mrs. Vieri pointed to a carboard box sitting on the counter._

_"Sure. Who were you just talking to?"_

_"The people at your grandma's retirement home. Visiting day is tomorrow and Sunday, not today. So we're not going today."_

_"Oh, okay, that's fine." After quickly eating two slices of pizza, Elaine headed upstairs to start on her homework. She had so much, she had a headache just thinking about it!_

_One hour later, Elaine decided to take her Chemistry notes over to Remy's house. As she walked out of the door, she suddenly remembered that she owed Remy nine dollars and quickly stuffed a ten-dollar bill in her pocket._

_Something wasn't right. As Elaine walked down Remy's street, she noticed a big crowd of people and an ambulance, along with several police cars. With a sinking feeling in her stomach, she realised it was all at Remy's house._

_Elaine practically ran down the street. Upon arriving at Remy's house, she saw her friend's parents crying together on the front lawn, arms wrapped tightly around each other. A police man was asking them questions and copying down their answers. The neighbors surrounding the scene all seemed to be in shock._

_"Mr. Brown?" asked Elaine, recognizing the old man who was putting a hand on his trembling granddaughter's shoulder. "What's happened?"_

_"It's...Remy," he said. A wave of panic came over Elaine and her eyes widened. Mr. Brown went on, "She was found by her mother twenty minutes ago. In the backyard. Murdered."_

* * *

Madalyn was looking at the wallpaper. When she turned to Elaine, she could hear her voice waver: "Yes, I know that we should. It's just...it's just...so hard to believe. Even after all this time. I can't believe Remy's really gone."

"I know. Have they caught the person who did it yet?"

Madalyn responded stiffly, "No," and Elaine could hear the anger in her voice. "Do you remember Millian Baxter?" she asked, referring to a rather rude girl from their highschool years that neither one had liked very much.

"Yeah...what about her?" asked Elaine, though she thought she already knew the horrifying answer.

"She was the bitch that murdered Remy."

"WHAT?!" Cold anger was running through Elaine's veins. She couldn't believe it. Previously, she'd felt numb, aloof to her best friend's death, but now, it was as though a small bomb had gone off inside of her, filling her to the brim with anger.

"I felt like that when I first heard about it, too."

"Why...did she...do that?" Elaine managed to stammer, trying to control her anger.

"Something dumb about a boyfriend of hers that Remy was trying to steal."

"Remy wouldn't ever try to steal anyone's boyfriend. And even if she was, that's no reason to..." Elaine stopped as her voice wavered and broke; a tear slipped out of her eye. She hated this, hated that she got so worked up over everything, but most of all, hated Millian Baxter more than anything she'd ever hated before.

Madalyn put an arm around Elaine's shoulders and tried to calm her down. "I know, I know. Believe me, I hate her too. And as soon as the police find her, I will be one happy person."

The two sat together in silence until Elaine finally said, "Do you remember that time when Remy thought she'd failed that test? She'd really gotten handed out the wrong one, but she was just sitting there about to hypervenilate when she noticed it wasn't her name on there..."

"Yes, I do," said Madalyn, smiling. "Her expression still had me laughing days later. And do you remember when she accidently mistook your bag of Halloween candy for her own and ate, like, half of it?"

"She kept saying sorry," said Elaine, smiling as well, "over and over again. And I told her it was okay, as long as I could have her candy in return."

The two spent most of the afternoon remembering their friend and, by the time they hugged goodbye, Elaine felt as though a large weight had been lifted off of her. It felt good to talk about Remy. She missed her friend so much. Elaine felt as though she'd kept this in for the longest time. Now that it was finally out, it was like a balloon floating into the sky, free as can be.

She turned around to see Bo, Riccio, and Mosca playing in the dirt. There was a horrible smell coming off of the boys that made her wrinkle her nose up in disgust and another wave of nausea to come over her.

"Boys!" she bellowed at them as she walked to the front door. "You are all taking showers before you eat dinner. And no buts," she added as Riccio opened his mouth. "You guys smell!"


	16. Chapter 15

Author's Notes: Thank you very much! I got the name Remy from a story I read called "All That Glitters"; you might have heard of it? Or might not have...Anyway, I put that happy bit at the end of the previous chapter because, I'm sorry to say, this chapter and the next chapters won't really be that happy. From now on, the story will be going in a rather...different direction. No huge events will happen right away, but they will later. Yes, you'll probably end up disliking me at one point or another. No, I did not originally plan for things to go this way, but this is what writer's block does to you. Anyway, I think it makes the story more realistic when it's not happy-happy-happy all the time.  
I know that you all may not like this very much, but this is how I would like for the story to go. Anyway, life isn't always perfect.  
(And you're probably thinking by now that someone dies. Lol)  
Enjoy...

* * *

Elaine and Scipio were very determined to be the best parents they could be. Scipio always made sure that Elaine had whatever she craved, let her lay in bed all day if she wanted to, and was bringing her water and medicine when she had particulary horrible morning sickness. Elaine had started doing daily yoga, and always made sure she did everything carefully as to not harm the baby. She started eating healthier, taking walks, and got a good night's sleep whenever she could.

The baby was fine, Dr. Cooke said. And at twelve weeks pregnant, most of Elaine's fear about a miscarriage was over. Elaine's stomach now had a tiny bump. Elaine could spend entire afternoons sitting in front of the mirror looking at it, smiling to herself. Dr. Cooke said that she should steadly be getting bigger, and it wouldn't be long before Elaine's pregnancy was quite obvious.

Life was good for everyone. Prosper was trying, with difficulty, to get Bo into school (it wasn't the easiest thing since he wasn't Bo's legal guardian). Mosca went out on the weekends to go fishing, and would be starting the search for his father soon. Hornet had discovered a huge nearby library, and spent most of her time there. Riccio was still stealing (Elaine had discovered this by finding a purse full of money by his bed one day and by asking him questions about it later), but for the most part, he'd toned down a bit on it. Madalyn visited Elaine almost daily and the two would go to the movies, shop, or just hang out and be silly. Madalyn had met Hornet and, though she did not see much of her, the two were just on the brink of friendship.

Something disrupted the peaceful monotony of the house, though. It happened very rarely, and when it did, it wasn't that bad. Even so, Elaine often found herself looking over at Scipio's sleeping form during the night and questioning herself. She was terribly insecure, and always had been. So, after a while, she started to wonder if there was something wrong with her.

Scipio and Elaine had enough money and support for the baby. Of course they did, but that didn't stop Elaine from chewing on her fingernails and worrying about seemingly everything. She was terrified, even though Scipio reassured her again and again and again, that something would go wrong. It wasn't even about the whole giving birth part. What if? What if, even now, that Scipio left her? (Even though she knew this was ridiculous.) What if something suddenly happened and they were forced to live on the streets, or suddenly ran out of all of their money? What if something bad happened to the others? What if? What if? _What if?_

Scipio, himself, was scared, but he wouldn't admit it. Whether it was the stubborn part of himself or the fact that he had to be strong for Elaine, he wasn't quite sure. He knew what she was going through: or at least some of it, anyway, as he didn't know how a girl's mind worked or what was going on in there.

They were small little arguments, if you could call them that. It was always about something that didn't even matter. Somehow, though, they kept coming back to Elaine's worries. Usually what happened was just a small disagreement, and then they'd forgive each other and everything would be fine. But, even with these tiny things, something was changing...even if they couldn't see it yet.

They were still very much in love. But suddenly there were more awkward silences, more time spent worrying over the tiniest things, more sitting alone on the patio and looking out at the rain, constantly bothered by something they couldn't name. They both noticed it. But neither one dared say anything about it.

* * *

"Hey Scip! Where in the world are you?"

There was the sound of footsteps in the hallway, and Scipio suddenly opened the bedroom door. "Right here. I was just helping Mosca with something." He sat on the bed next to her and turned to her.

"Oh, okay. I just woke up and wondered what time it was."

"It is..." Scipio paused to look at his watch. "11:26."

"Really? Already? Man, I usually don't sleep this late..."

"Well, you are pregnant," he told her.

"Yeah, I know I am. But still...all of a sudden I'm sleeping later and later and it kind of feels weird when you wake up and it's already the afternoon."

"I know what you mean. Do you want any breakfast? Well, actually, we're about to order pizza for lunch, so..."

"I'll just wait for the pizza." Elaine, yawning, went over to a nearby chair and started to comb her hair out. Halfway through, though, she suddenly turned pale and brought a hand up to her mouth. Dropping the comb, she ran into the bathroom.

"Are you alright?" Scipio asked as soon as he heard the sink running.

"Yeah, fine," came the muffled reply. Elaine exited the bathroom and, just as she was done combing her hair, heard the doorbell ring from downstairs. She faintly heard sound coming from down there and knew it was the boys all trying to answer the door at once. "It's probably just Madalyn," she thought aloud. Elaine quickly got dressed and Scipio and herself went down the stairs.

"Hi, Maddi!" she called out as soon as she reached the foot of the stairs and saw Madalyn standing there talking to Riccio. Well, it was more like Riccio was talking to her; Madalyn seemed to be a bit uncomfortable, for some reason. She smiled in relief when she saw Elaine.

"Hey, hun! How have you been doing?" She hugged Elaine and looked down at her stomach. "You're getting bigger every day!"

"I know! I'm going to transform into a blimp before you know it!" responded a laughing Elaine. She lead Madalyn into their backyard and they both sat on the hammock Mosca and Elaine had put up a few days ago. They swung together in the breeze and talked about all sorts of things: the baby, Remy, London, Venice, anything and everything they could think of. Elaine liked it there, free to talk about whatever she wanted.

"So, how are you doing?" said Madalyn finally, after they had exhausted every topic.

"You just saw me yesterday, I don't think I changed overnight."

"Yeah, I know, but I was just wondering."

"Fine." _Not._ Elaine thought back to the argument Scipio and she had had two nights ago. It was rather pointless, as they all were, involving Scipio's father. "How are you?"

"I'm okay. A little bit bored sometimes, but okay."

"Yeah. I know how that can be." Elaine put a hand on her stomach and looked at the horizon. She was suddenly annoyed at Madalyn: why did she care if she was okay so much? If anything was wrong, she'd tell her; why was she so involved in her business, anyway?

"Elaine..." said Madalyn carefully after a moment; she knew that pregnancy could make Elaine quite grumpy at times. "Is everything okay...between you and Scipio?"

"Yes, everything's fine!" snapped Elaine. "Why do you care so much?"

Madalyn looked slightly hurt. "Well, you are my friend and all, and I just wanted to make sure you're doing okay. Is that a crime all of a sudden?"

"No, it's not, it's just...it's just..." Elaine scooted slightly away from Madalyn and put her face in her hands. "Madalyn?" she said.

"Yes?"

"Can you just go?"

"Go?"

"Yes. Leave. Go."

Madalyn, feeling worse than ever, said, "Elaine, are you--?"

"Go!"

Madalyn got off of the hammock and headed towards the back door. She stopped to take one last look at Elaine, wondering what was going on. This was beyond any pregnancy grumpiness. Madalyn finally turned, opened the door, and made her way through the house. After exiting through the front door, she started up her car and pulled out of the driveway, a heavy feeling in her heart.

Prosper had forgotten that Elaine was outside, and, from the windows, you couldn't see the hammock, so he was surprised when he went out there to search for his shoes that he had left on the back patio the previous day and saw her sitting in it, hands up to her face. She seemed to be trembling.

"Elaine?" he said, approaching her cautiously. Elaine didn't answer, and it took him a moment to realise she was crying. He joined her on the hammock and put an arm around her. "What's wrong?"

It took a few minutes to calm her down enough for her to say, "I just..._I hate this_!" She pulled her hands away from her face and wiped a few tears away from her cheeks. "At any little thing, I just...I just feel so moody all the time and stuff and down and...I just don't like this at all."

Prosper was quite sympathetic. It was obvious that she was quite upset about something, though, since he didn't know about the arguments she and Scipio had, he didn't know what it was. Maybe it was just pregnancy.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Is there anything I can do?"

"N-no!" Elaine tried to stifle her sobs, to no avail. "It's just that I feel fat and emotional all the time, and I know I get on everyone's nerves, but you're all too nice to say it, and I'm just being a selfish brat...and...and..." her sentence remained unfinished, finally dissolving into hiccups.

"Well..." Prosper wished Hornet were here, suddenly, as she was much better at this emotional stuff than he was. "Well, we don't think you're annoying. You're just pregnant. And you're not fat at all."

"It's not even that." She sighed, letting her hands drop to her sides. "It's just that...I don't know. I can't explain it. I just feel like I've failed everyone, and...I don't know."

There was silence. Prosper didn't know what to say. "Well...um, the pizza's here." He stood up. "Should I bring you some?"

"No. I'll come in in a minute. Thanks, though."

Prosper gave her a hug before he went back to the house. "Elaine? If you ever need anything, I'm right here."

"Yeah. Sure." And she smiled at him, the biggest lie of all.

On the outside, she may have looked happy, but on the inside, she wasn't even close to that.

* * *

Later that night, Elaine laid in bed, yawning. She always seemed to be so tired lately. She knew it was just the pregnancy, but even so, this was just crazy!

Scipio, who'd been brushing his teeth, closed the bathroom door behind him and turned off the light in the bedroom. Elaine felt him slide into the bed next to him and wrap his arms around her. His hand was on her stomach and she felt content and at peace with the world.

"Good-night," he said sleepily.

"Mmm. Good-night. I love you."

"Love you too," he said, and fell asleep.

She suddenly wondered if that was really true.


	17. Chapter 16

Author's Notes: There won't be any deaths, but things won't be just peachy all the time...But I'm giving away too much. I'll just say this: things may or may not end happily. You'll just have to wait and see, though. Thanks for reviewing!  
P.S. InkySubstance, you may have heard the name Remy from Sarah Dessen's novel This Lullaby. Yeah. Just remembered that.

* * *

_Week Twelve_

_ You may actually start feeling better from your extreme tiredness and nausea this week. Others will hang on to it for awhile longer. Your abdomen may start expanding, especially if this is not your first pregnancy._

_While your baby's brain is not the same size it will be at birth, it does have the same structure. Bile is being secreted by this time. S/he weighs about 14 grams and is approximately 3.54 inches in total length._

_If your practitioner uses a doppler, you may be able to hear your baby's heart beat at this prenatal visit. It will sound very fast. Some say that they hear clicking or the sounds of horse hooves. Your risk of miscarriage is greatly reduced once you hear this sound..._

Elaine leaned forward slightly as to see the print better, accidentally dropping a bite of pancake onto her lap. She picked it up and threw it into the sink, which was much closer than the garbage can, and went back to eating breakfast and reading. After a minute, she heard nearby footsteps and turned around to see Scipio descending the staircase and yawning.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," she said, grinning at him. "I made pancakes."

"I was wondering what smelled so good," he said, getting a plate and putting pancakes on it. He covered them in syrup and sat down next to her. "You made these?"

"Yeah."

"Well, they're good."

"What, is my cooking usually horrible?" she asked playfully, finishing her pancakes.

"No! It's just...these are good."

"Thanks. Oh, everyone's outside," she added, answering his unasked question. "Except for Mosca. He went to some boat shop or something."

"Oh. I was wondering where everyone was," Scipio responded. Elaine put her now empty plate in the sink and sat back down, reading her book again. Scipio finished his breakfast in silence and, after a moment, Elaine suggested,

"Why don't we go outside? It's a beautiful day."

Scipio agreed and they went outside to sit on the hammock. Riccio, Prosper, and Bo seemed to be playing tag, while Hornet was sitting on the grass and picking flowers. With a feeling of guilt, Elaine suddenly remembered what had happened between she and Madalyn the previous day, but she pushed the thought out of her mind. She'd call her later today and apologize.

They had a bit of trouble fitting together on the swingset, and Elaine laughed when Scipio ended up in an odd position so that there was room for both of them. Scipio sat up at this and started to tickle her, and Elaine, gasping for breath from laughing so hard, said, "Stop. Stop, Scipio, seriously. I'm really ticklish."

She should have never said this, because Scipio started tickling her even more. Elaine, still laughing, said, "If I die of suffocation from laughing so hard, it'll be all your fault!"

"Aw, come on," responded Scipio playfully. "You're no fun." He stopped tickling her and gave her a kiss.

From behind them, they heard Hornet say, "As adorable as it is, get a room, you two! Now Bo will think there's cooties all over the hammock."

"Oh, shut up," said Elaine, sticking her tongue out at her. She cuddled closer to Scipio and put her head on his chest, watching the clouds. There was a light spring breeze, and it ruffled her hair. Elaine felt content and sleepy all of a sudden and closed her eyes. She didn't mean to fall asleep, but the next thing she knew, Scipio was shaking her awake.

It was still the early afternoon, but some time had passed. "...wake you up, but we've got an appointment with Dr. Cooke in half an hour..." Scipio was saying as she blinked and yawned.

"W-we do? I forgot all about that." Elaine sat up and stretched. Then she got off of the hammock and went into the house to give her hair a quick brush. They called a taxi and, after waiting on the front yard for a few minutes, it arrived. The young couple sat together in the backseat, told the driver where they were headed, and they were off.

"So..." Elaine looked over at Scipio, trying to break the silence. The silence that was now awkward instead of understanding, like it had once been. Once, she hadn't had to think of something to talk about, like now. "Um...how are you doing?"

She knew what a stupid question it was as soon as it had left her lips. Scipio gave her an odd look, and she knew what he was thinking: You live with me, shouldn't you know? He simply answered, "Fine. Umm...how are you?"

"I'm okay." Scipio turned his face away from her, to the window, and Elaine suddenly felt a desire to punch him in the arm. She felt hurt, neglected. It wasn't as though she expected Scipio to pay attention to her every second of every day, but she was starting to feel like she was being ignored.

"Why are you asking, anyway?" Scipio asked. Elaine could feel the sudden tension in the air. _Oh, God. Please don't do this, Scip. I don't need this right now..._

"Well, I couldn't think of anything to say, and I was just wondering if you were okay."

"Of course I'm okay. If I wasn't, I'd tell you."

"I know. I just...couldn't think of anything to say."

Scipio went on as though Elaine had not spoken: "Anyway, why do you care so much?"

Elaine narrowed her eyes. "Well, God, Scipio, I don't know. Maybe it's because I actually give a damn about you." She knew they were making a scene in front of the taxi driver, but she was so fed up with Scipio at this point that she couldn't care less.

"Okay. Well, if that's the case, you don't have to get so mad about it."

"I am not getting mad! You're just being a jerk."

Scipio was getting annoyed. He knew that Elaine was very grumpy and pregnant, but that didn't stop him from getting tired of it. "Me? A jerk? Shit, Elaine, you should look at yourself. I was wondering why you asked and you call me a jerk."

"And why did you ask in the first place? Is it so abnormal for someone to ask someone she cares about how they are? If you would stop being so angry all the time, you wouldn't explode over the tiniest thing."

"I am not---!"

Elaine suddenly realised that they were at the clinic. She thanked the driver, handed him the money, and got out of the car, Scipio following her.

"God, Elaine, what's with you---?" he began.

"With me? There is NOTHING fucking wrong with me, Scipio, for your information. I think you're just being a jerk about the whole thing and---"

"Elaine, don't---"

Elaine put a hand up to his face. "Stop. Scipio, just stop. I can't deal with this right now." She felt so angry at him she thought she might just snap if he went on one second longer. Besides, she could feel tears at the back of her eyes, and the last thing she wanted to do right now was cry in front of the person who currently thought she was pathetic. She opened the door of the clinic and checked herself in for the ultrasound. Afterwards, she sat down on one of the couches in the waiting room and pretended to read a magazine, temper rising by the second. Scipio sat down next to her, though at a distance, and she thought of ways to cause his death in the most violent ways. Elaine would later feel guilty about it, but as for now, for the second time in her life, she hated Scipio.

"Elaine?" Dr. Cooke popped in the room and smiled once she spotted Elaine and Scipio. "Hi, how have you been lately?" she asked Elaine as the three of them headed towards her office.

"Um...still throwing up in the mornings. And I've got headaches all the time."

"Well, morning sickness should be going down soon," said Dr. Cooke as Elaine sat down in the chair. "That and the headaches are normal. Have you been eating a lot lately?"

"Yes. Every second of every day, pretty much."

"Well, just be sure that you're getting enough Vitamin C and eating healthy foods." Dr. Cooke was getting out the cold goo again, and Elaine flinched just looking at it. "Have you started any kind of excercise routine?"

"Yes. I'm doing yoga for about fifteen or twenty minutes every day."

"Good." Dr. Cooke put the goo on Elaine's stomach and she flinched again. "Just take it easy, and get plenty of rest. And avoid stressful situations, because they are not only bad for the baby, but bad for you."

Elaine thought of Scipio, who was sitting right next to her, and felt angry again. She turned her attention to the ultrasound screen as Dr. Cooke moved the probe around on her stomach. After a minute, she saw a white oval-like shape on the screen. "Oooh! Is that it?" she asked, suddenly excited.

"Yes." Elaine was surprised at how much the baby had grown in such a short amount of time and felt nice and fuzzy inside to see her baby again. She knew that Scipio was probably thinking the same thing, but didn't look at him, as she was still mad. "In about seven or so weeks, we should know the gender."

"Oh, I can't wait," said Elaine. Which was the honest truth. She could already imagine dressing up an infant daughter, playing around with her hair, doing all that girly stuff with her when she was older. But if they had a son, she wouldn't mind, and she'd be just as happy. She had a feeling it was a girl, for some reason.

After Dr. Cooke asked Elaine a few more questions, they were sitting outside waiting for the bus that usually came around this area at this time. There was a feeling of awkwardness in the air. Elaine was still angry at Scipio, but it had started to turn more into terrible guilt. She looked down at her stomach and remembered what Dr. Cooke had said: _Avoid stressful situations._ Elaine mentally apologized to the baby; arguments were easily stressful situations.

As the two got onto the bus, Elaine looked at the back of Scipio's head, his dark hair. She remembered how, when they'd first met, she'd felt so enchanted with him. And now, one year later, look at what their relationship had become.

Elaine knew what was coming. The repetitive chants in her head just weren't enough: Don't cry, it's okay, don't cry, don't cry. She sat in a seat with Scipio and looked out of the window, like he had done earlier. No, she wasn't trying to copy Scipio in the least...

Elaine was trying to hide her tears.


	18. Chapter 17

Author's Notes: Hmm...we'll just have to see. Will they break up or not? (Yes, I know I'm evil)  
Thanks for the comments! Keep 'em coming! I'm going to be out of town and away from internet connection Wednesday to Saturday (or Friday, not really that sure yet), so you may have to wait a bit for the next update. Sorry. But enjoy this one.

* * *

"What in the world made you think that?"

"I don't think that, I'm just saying that it's a possibility, and I'm _kind of_ thinking---"

"Elaine, I know you're pregnant, but this is just crazy. If you have no evidence to support this possibility, then why are you thinking it could be true in the first place?"

Elaine hung her head and looked at Hornet's bedsheets. "I just...I don't know."

"You're the queen of insecurity, you know that?" Hornet said, a slight smile on her face, even though it wasn't a funny situation.

"Yeah, I know. It's just that...I'm kind of scared about the whole thing, you know?"

"Elaine, I've known Scipio for just about three years now, and I'm positive that he would never, ever cheat on you. Ever. He loves you and this baby more than anything in the world. And anyway, like you said, there's really no evidence, so..."

"Well, it's not that. Everything just seems too easy. I keep feeling like Scipio will...I don't know, just that something will go wrong."

They were sitting on Hornet's bed in her room, this particular morning. A few weeks had passed. Bo was watching cartoons in the living room, but other than him, Elaine, and Hornet, no one else was awake.

"It's just a pile of junk that you think he could be cheating on you. You know what I think?"

"What?"

"We should just spend today doing girly stuff, like shopping and getting our nails done and all that. I think that you need some time away from Scipio."

"No, I..." Elaine searched her brain for a valid excuse to say no. It wasn't that she didn't want to hang out with Hornet, but she just didn't feel like leaving the house. "Um, I wasn't feeling too good this morning. Maybe I should stay at home today."

"Elaine, come on. You've been cooped up at the house for way too long. You need to get outside," Hornet pleaded. "We can bring Madalyn with us, if you want."

"No, I just...I feel sick. I don't want to go anywhere today. Thanks, though." Elaine stood up and exited the room without another word, leaving a frowning Hornet behind. Hornet opened her mouth, as though to say something, but her bedroom door was already swinging shut.

"Alright, then," she sighed, to no one in particular. "If that's how you want it to be, then so be it."

* * *

Elaine had always been an optimistic person, no matter what life threw in her path. These days, however, she was quite the opposite. Whether it was pregnancy or something else, she did not know. She was tired, oh _so_ tired, of being like this: grumpy, sad, rude, teary-eyed. More than once she found herself thinking, with tons of guilt following afterwards, that she wished that she could go back to that night when Scipio had first kissed her and everything had begun, and stop it all from happening. But then she thought of her baby, this tiny little being that depended on her, and her heart would melt. Elaine would go through being emotional, feeling sick, and even arguing with Scipio just for this baby, but she was getting fed up with it all.

Just getting out of the house came to be a very unpleasant time. She felt much more comfortable at home, in bed and alone with her thoughts, than out in public and in front of everyone. It was hard to explain. Whenever she did go out in public, she'd feel sick, tired, nervous, and want to go home, away from everything. This was what she often did, but at the end of the day, when she hadn't done anything all day, she felt sorry for herself.

Then there was the hopelessness. Elaine would just be sitting around, thinking, when it would strike. The feeling that nothing would ever be right. She'd always be disagreeing with Scipio, hating him with everything in her heart, not like the fairytale perfect couple she wanted to be. That she'd always be stuck in the house and moody. That she'd never get any sleep, never be happy, never, never, never. That Scipio wouldn't hold and kiss her like he used to.

Never, never, never.

Nobody had ever told her it would be like this. Nobody. That she and Scipio would get into shouting matches in the middle of the night, that anything she got down would come back up, that she'd be alone with her fears every second of every day, terrified and without any hope at all.

She hated this.

An example of one of Elaine's bad times in public would be the time she and everyone else had gone shopping. She was outside in one of the city's squares with Bo tossing coins (and pretty much anything else he could find) into a nearby fountain. Everyone else was in the store. Bo had insisted upon looking at the fountain, and as they couldn't just leave him outside alone, Elaine had stayed with him.

Elaine was somehow caught in a big crowd of tourists when it happened: the sudden desire, no, _need_, to get away, escape, run, something. She felt trapped and out of breath, like she was going to suffocate among all of these people. Almost as though she were about to faint. Elaine pushed past them without offering an "Excuse me", her rising feeling of panic coming to its peak just as she reached Bo.

"Elaine, look at this!" Bo tossed a penny into the fountain, where it landed on top of the small platform showing a mermaid combing her hair. It balanced on the mermaid's tail for a moment before sliding off, into the water. He looked up at her, suddenly, and frowned. "Why are you crying?"

"Crying? I'm not---" Elaine reached her hands up to her face and found, to her surprise, that it was true. Salty tears touched her fingertips and she pulled them away. "I'm fine, Bo."

Bo was young, but not stupid. "No, you're not. Prosper said that you've been really sad lately."

"Prosper said that?"

"Yeah. He said that since you're going to have the baby, you get really sad sometimes."

"Oh."

_Maybe I'm just claustrophobic_, thought Elaine. She doubted it, though. There was something wrong, that was for sure...but what was it?

* * *

"Damnit, Scipio, why do you always have to prove your point like that? You think that the world's just divided into 'I'm right and you're not.' Stop arguing with me all the time."

"I am not arguing. I just have different opinions on things."

"If that was the case, you wouldn't be raising your voice at me like you're doing now. And so what if I am wrong? You don't have to keep shoving it in my face."

"I am not shoving anything in your face, Elaine. And I'm not trying to be right all the time. If you just listened, you could learn that I actually have something to say every now and then." Scipio was pretending to be calm, but on the inside, he was seething. It was a calm night outside of the house, but the battle that raged inside of their home was anything but peaceful.

"Yeah, right. Get your head out of your ass sometime, Scipio, and you might see that you're not the one who's right all the time. I'm tired of you always yelling at me like the bastard you're being now." Elaine crossed her arms over her chest and straightened herself up a bit, glaring at Scipio.

"God, can't you ever shut up for one second and just listen to me? I---"

"Shut up?! Me shut up?" Elaine's voice rose and she practically screamed her next statement, "Why don't YOU shut up for once, Scippy boy, and stop to think before you yell at me! I'm sick and tired of arguing with you over nothing. I'm tired of this, Scipio. Don't even try to yell at me again if you know what's good for you. I hate you!"

Those last three words came out colder than the Artic during a winter night, and Elaine regretted them at once. Both she and Scipio's eyes widened. Elaine brought her hands up to her mouth as she pleaded, "Oh, God, Scipio, I didn't mean it, I---"

"Maybe it'll be better if I sleep on the couch tonight." Scipio was crumbling on the inside, and he bit back sobs. From the very night he'd found her in that alleyway in Venice to now, he'd never thought he would hear those words come out of her mouth. He'd never wanted to.

"No, Scipio, please, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to---"

But he was already opening the door and leaving the room. Elaine gasped and started to cry. She felt around with one hand behind her, and, finding the bed, sat down on it, head spinning as tears flowed down her cheeks. In that moment, that one moment, she just wanted for everything to stop and rewind, back, back, back.

Elaine buried her face in her pillow. She was so stupid. She didn't really hate Scipio, of course, but now he thought she did. God. She might as well have ended their relationship with those three words. Scipio hadn't done anything to deserve this, so why was she telling him this?

No reason. No reason at all...

After thinking over her situation carefully for a few minutes, Elaine decided to go downstairs and apologize. Upon reaching the dark living room, she whispered, "Scip?" There was no answer. Elaine walked over to one of the couches and saw him fast asleep, shoes scattered on the floor below him. She felt a sudden pang of guilt and inhaled sharply to stop from crying all over again.

Elaine reached out to touch Scipio's arm, and he moved slightly. She slid her hand down his arm and held his hand in her own. Another pang of guilt hit her, and in the silence of the night, her voice sounded unnaturally loud.

"I'm sorry, Scip."


	19. Chapter 18

Author's Notes: I'm back! Yay! Update time!  
You may hate this update and you may love it, though I kind of doubt you'll be that fond of it. Oh well. After mulling it over for ages, I have finally decided that this is how it will go. Even if it's not the happiest way ever.  
Enjoy...

* * *

Time continued to pass in its usual monotonic matter, as Scipio and Elaine's relationship spiraled downward. It was just a mere two days later when it finally hit rock bottom. But that is a story not destined for now...well, right now, anyway.

Things just kept getting worse and worse. Everyone else was now aware of Scipio and Elaine's arguments, but of course, they could do nothing. Nothing besides exchange worried glances and go to put an arm around Elaine as soon as it was all over. They didn't have any idea how bad things were actually getting. Nobody did.

Elaine just spent more and more time cooped up in the house and sulking around. She was more irritable than ever and, at one point, ended up slapping Riccio across the face for just being annoying. The hand mark on his cheek quickly faded, but by that time, Riccio couldn't have cared less about how much it hurt. He was, for once in his life, worried. Something was wrong with Elaine and Scipio, he could tell. Something was terribly wrong.

To be honest, neither Scipio nor Elaine were mature enough for parenthood yet, even though they'd never admit it. Scipio was still as stubborn and sarcastic as always, and Elaine was still insecure, causing her to deflect her guilt and faults onto Scipio. Scipio had grown up in a home where everyone argued and disliked each other, and even though he was far nicer than his father, it was simply just part of what he was used to. He hated going through this as much as Elaine, but neither one could do anything about it, so they just let it all happen.

When Elaine would go down to the kitchen for a midnight snack to soothe her rumbling stomach, she'd always pass through the living room and see Scipio asleep on the couch. This often led to her losing her appetite and heading back up to bed as quickly as she'd come down. The hopelessness still occured, still drove her to tears every night and day. Nothing was going right in their house, and it would be a long time before anything would.

* * *

"Maddi?"

"Hey, Elaine. What's up?"

"Not that much. Is everything okay?"

"Um, yeah. How are you?"

"Fine." Elaine pressed the reciever closer to her ear and sat down on the cushioned armchair. "Are you sure everything's okay?"

"Yeah, everything's good. Why are you asking?"

"It's just...I don't know." Bo was tugging at Elaine's skirt and looking up at her, asking her for a snack. She told him to go ask someone else, as she was busy right now, and he ran off. "I just wanted to know if you were doing fine."

"Well, I am."

"Good." Elaine looked at the mantlepiece - well, more specifically, a picture on the mantlepiece. It showed Remy and herself making pumpkin pie. It was taken by none other than Madalyn when they were in the eighth grade. Elaine had a bit of pumpkin on her nose, but she didn't know, and Remy was doubled over in laughter. They looked so young. Innocent. Carefree.

"Elaine...if it's not, you don't have to tell me, but is everything okay? You've been acting kind of different lately."

"Yeah. Everything's fine."

For a moment, neither one spoke. Then Elaine said, "Madalyn, you know that you really mean a lot to me, right?"

"Um, yes..."

"And that I really, really appreciate the fact that you're always there for me and stuff? Well, you always have been, but I'm just saying..."

"It's no problem, Elaine. You know I really don't mind."

"Yeah. I know." Elaine bit down on her fingernail, thinking to herself. Why did it sound so awkward to say this? A year ago, before Remy had died and everything had gone wrong, she could say it with ease, but now, she could barely get out the words. Maybe it was just pregnancy. Maybe not.

"Yeah, and...you're a really great person and stuff. And I just wanted you to know that you really do rock."

"Well, you're not so bad yourself," responded Madalyn jokingly.

Bo came back in and started tugging on Elaine's skirt again, saying that he needed help getting the faucet in the bath going. Elaine was about to say good-bye to Madalyn when her friend said suddenly, "Um, I'm glad you called, but I got a bunch of crummy old paperwork to do for work. And it'll probably keep me up all night if I don't get started on it now. So, yeah. Glad you called, but..."

"It's okay. I understand. Well, I guess I'll talk to you later - I have to go help Bo with his bath. Bye."

"Bye, hun."

And at the last second, Elaine blurted out, "And Madalyn?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, Elaine. Good-night."

* * *

4:27 A.M., the clock read.

Prosper was suddenly awoken by the loud slamming of a door upstairs, and jumped in his bed. A few feet away from him, in his own bed, Bo jumped too.

"What happened?" asked Bo.

"I dunno. I guess just someone closed the door really loud."

Prosper laid back down on his bed, trying to get some more sleep - he'd never been much of a morning person - but there was more noise coming from upstairs. _Thump, thump, thump._ It sounded like someone was walking around.

A door creaked nearby, and another series of thumps followed, getting louder and closer by the second. Prosper was starting to get a bad feeling in his stomach. Outside, he could hear Hornet gasp audibly.

Bo got up and went towards the door, but Prosper said, "_Wait_, Bo. Stop." He stood up and turned the doorknob, carefully cracking it open just as Scipio's pleading voice reached his ears:

"Elaine, stop acting like this."

"Bo!" Bo was trying to pry open the door, but Prosper held it firmly shut, knowing what was beyond it. _Scipio and Elaine are at it again,_ he thought. He knew that seeing this would upset Bo, but he was sickly curious himself. Prosper tried to get out of the room without Bo following, but it was no use.

"Bo, stay here. Stay right in here."

"No."

"It's nothing important, it's just---"

"It's Scipio and Elaine fighting, isn't it?"

Prosper sighed. "They're not fighting, they're just...disagreeing on something. Now stay in this room."

He shut the door behind him and moved into the shadows of the living room. Hornet, Riccio, and Mosca were watching the scene before him and holding their breath. Turning around, he could see why.

"I'm tired of you trying to make my own decisions for me," Elaine was saying to Scipio. She was in her nightgown and her hair was uncombed and sticking up in places, but Prosper saw, to his horror, that she was holding a suitcase.

"But Elaine...you can't do this. Please don't." Scipio stood up and held her hand, looking into her eyes. "We need you. I need you."

Elaine pulled away from him, an expression of disgust on her face. "Oh, give me a break, Scipio. You're lying through your teeth."

"No! I'm not! I swear I'm not!" Prosper felt a small movement to his right and saw Bo standing there, holding his teddy bear, eyes wide. He poked his shoulder and pointed to their room, but Bo didn't budge. "_Please_, Elaine. Don't leave."

"Don't leave. _Me._ Don't leave." Elaine narrowed her eyes and began to walk towards the door. "Good one, Scipio. Like you actually want me to stay here. Just admit it, I'm as much as a trouble to you all here as I've ever been." She moved closer to Scipio, and Prosper noticed that she was crying.

"Can't you see, Scipio? Can't you see that I'll never be happy? That you'll never be happy with me around?" she said in a voice low enough for only Scipio to hear.

"No, Elaine, we'll be just fine. Come on. I'll do whatever you want. Relationship counseling, anything...I'll be the one to move out, if it makes you happy. Please, just please, stay."

Hornet was also crying, and Bo was starting to stare at the floor, the usual sign that he was about to do the same. Prosper put an arm around him and felt his heart begin to sink down to his stomach.

Elaine straightened herself up and again walked towards the door, an air of finality around her. Then, without another word, she opened it and sped down the steps and away from their house. Prosper joined everyone else in walking out of the door behind her and looking up and down the street for her, but she wasn't there.

She wasn't anywhere.


	20. Chapter 19

Author's Notes: Well, this chapter is kind of sad, but I had to write it. I hope you'll think it's a good chapter, because I like it, even though, like I said, it's sad. Oh, and the parts where Elaine is talking is Scipio remembering. Just wanted to clear up any confusion beforehand with that.  
Enjoy...

* * *

"We could try calling the cops," Mosca suggested, yawning. He hadn't been able to get any sleep during the past few hours. None of them had.

"They won't do anything. They never do."

"Well, do you have any other ideas?" asked Mosca.

Scipio didn't respond.

It was now nearly eight o' clock in the morning, and they had all just returned from searching the neighborhood for Elaine. They hadn't found her, and now they sat in the living room, tired and numb with shock.

"Well, what is there left to do?" asked Hornet, tearstains on her cheeks. "God knows where she is right now. She could be out on the streets somewhere. She and the baby could get hurt."

"She did pack up some stuff, so she's most likely staying somewhere. A hotel, maybe?" Prosper asked.

"Maybe. She probably took money with her, so there is a possibility..."

"Should we go around local hotels for her, then?"

"I guess so." Riccio handed Scipio the phonebook and reciever. Scipio flipped through it and found that there were four pages of hotels in London. Having a feeling he would be busy for a while, he told them, "Well, this will probably take a good few hours."

"I think I'm going to go lie down for a while," said Hornet weakly, departing the room and going into her room. A moment later, they could hear her start to cry again.

"Yeah, me too," said Riccio, and he, Mosca, and Bo left. Prosper lingered behind, wanting to say something to comfort Scipio but not sure what exactly to tell him.

"Um, good luck," he finally said. "Tell us if you find anything, okay?"

"I will," said Scipio, already dialing. Prosper exited the living room and Scipio held the reciever up to his ear, listening to it ring.

"Good morning, you have reached Days Inn hotel," said a heavily accented male voice after a moment. "How may I help you?"

"I was wondering if an Elaine Vieri has checked in lately...?"

"I'll go check for you, sir," said the voice, and there was silence. Finally, the man returned and said, "I'm sorry, but there is no Elaine Vieri at our hotel."

"Oh." All the air seemed to be sucked from Scipio's lungs. "Okay, thank you."

Several hours later, Scipio sat on his and Elaine's bed, absently running a hand through his hair and feeling dissapointed. Elaine wasn't in any of those hotels, and he wondered where she was. She could be hours away from London by now. Or, like Hornet had said, somewhere out on the streets. What if she'd ran into some idiot and gotten hurt? What about the baby? Was it okay?

He slumped down onto the bedsheets and thought. It was all his fault. Elaine had said so herself: _"Oh, give me a break, Scipio. Like you actually want me to stay here."_ He shook his head as though to rid it of the thoughts, but they wouldn't go away.

Scipio stood up and left the room, making his way down the stairs. He was starting to feel a bit trapped. He sat down in the living room again and turned on the TV. A game show was on and he watched it without really knowing what was going on. Scipio could imagine Elaine sitting next to him, leaning forward and saying excitedly,_ "Oh, I know the answer! It's that...word...I forgot what it is, but it's like...Maine...or Marne...or---"_ And then the host said the answer when none of the contestants could get it right, and Elaine would say, _"Yeah! That's it! Maine."_

He shook his head again and suddenly heard thumps nearby and the sound of doors opening. Hornet and Riccio emerged from their rooms and sleepily greeted Scipio. He nodded and they went into the kitchen. Scipio turned in his seat to watch them; Hornet was getting out some leftover sandwiches from lunch the previous day and Riccio was complaining about being hungry.

"Get your own food," she snapped at him. Riccio rolled his eyes and, showing no sign of getting up to find something to eat, propped his feet up on the table.

_"Riccio, how many times do I have to tell you to not put your feet on the table?"_ said Elaine's voice in his mind, and Scipio winced.

"Riccio, get your feet off the table."

"What?"

"Feet off the table."

Riccio gave Scipio an odd look, but obeyed.

Scipio turned back to the living room and found himself facing a sight he didn't exactly want to see; not right now, anyway. The wall was covered in pictures of all of them, and even ultrasounds of the baby. Scipio felt a terrible sadness when he saw a picture of he and Elaine sitting together on a park bench. Scipio's arm was around Elaine's waist and he was giving her neck a kiss, while Elaine was laughing and cuddling up against him. Hornet had taken this picture, and Elaine had thumbtacked it on the wall as soon as it had been developed. Scipio felt a sudden desire to rip it to pieces.

_"See, this one was the baby three weeks ago, and this one is the baby now,"_ Elaine was telling Bo, pointing to the two different pictures.

Scipio blinked several times and said under his breath, "Leave me alone already!"

"What?" came Hornet's voice from the kitchen.

"Nothing, Hornet. I'm just kind of tired."

"Well, maybe you need to take a nap or something," she said, coming into the doorway and looking at him with a worried expression.

"Maybe I do," said Scipio, heading up the stairs.

"If you need anything, be sure to just ask," called Hornet.

Scipio nodded, though he knew she couldn't see him, and went back into he and Elaine's bedroom. He laid down and turned over so that he was facing Elaine's now empty side of the bed.

_"Geez, am I tired! The baby's not even that big yet and I'm already falling asleep all over the place!"_ Elaine exclaimed, grinning over at him. Scipio closed his eyes, trying to think about something, anything else. But he couldn't. Turning over again, he took a deep breath, let it out, and tried to stop the tears from coming.

And failed.

* * *

Over the following six weeks, Scipio couldn't eat, sleep, or think straight. Without Elaine, he felt numb, empty. Incomplete. Nothing could go right any more. He stayed in bed all day and didn't leave the house at all, excluding going to the backyard every now and then. Scipio was worried over by everyone in the house, but he really didn't care any more. He didn't care about anything.

Madalyn stopped by once after not hearing from Elaine or Hornet for a few days, and Hornet told her what had happened. She talked to Hornet every now and then, but besides that, she focused more on her job and started working double shifts, trying to work off her stress. At least it kept her from being home and being alone with the truth.

Elaine's abscence took its toll on everyone. Suddenly, Riccio stopped making so many rude remarks, Mosca was uninterested in his boat, Prosper worried more than usual, Hornet found her books rather boring, and Bo stopped laughing and playing around so much. A sense of anxiety settled over the house. All they had left to do was wait for Elaine to come back.

And wait.

And wait.

And wait...

* * *

"Scipio? You awake?" asked Hornet's voice from the hallway, and Scipio didn't answer. After a second, she opened the door and, noticing he was awake, sat down on the bed.

"Come on, let's do something today," she said.

"No."

"Why not?"

"I'm really tired."

"You're always really tired, Scipio. I'm really starting to worry about you. You never get out of the house or anything, and I was wondering---"

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not. I can tell. It's about Elaine, isn't it?" Without waiting for a response, Hornet rushed on: "Come on. You know she wouldn't want you to be all...upset over her. Just because she's not here doesn't mean you have to mope around all the time."

"I do not mope."

"Sure you don't." Hornet knew he was about to come up with some sarcastic comeback and said, "Well, breakfast is ready. You'll come down and eat with us, won't you?"

"Yeah. In a minute." Hornet left the room and Scipio pulled the covers over his head. He wanted nothing more than to fall back asleep and forget reality. But the world keeps turning, and he'd have to go along with it.


	21. Chapter 20

Author's Notes: Eee! Thank you very much for reviewing! FantasyDreamer, actually, he didn't. Sorry about the previous chapters being all sad, but it had to be written. I like writing sad stuff (as horrible as that may sound) and anyway, I finally decided that it was time that something be done about all the bad stuff going on in their lives. I actually considered Elaine attempting suicide at some point or another (again, as horrible as that may sound) before I decided that she would become pregnant. And as for where Elaine went, you'll just have to wait and see.  
Well, here's the next chapter. I don't really like it (I never like anything I write, though, so that probably doesn't mean anything) but I hope you do. I've got to warn you that it briefly mentions suicidal thoughts and actions, so if this upsets you, then please don't read it. As usual, enjoy...

* * *

Scipio stood looking over the balcony and at the ground several feet below him, feeling dizzy. He could see the mud splattered on the bright green grass, a result from last night's rainstorm. For a moment, he wondered what would happen if he jumped. But no, he couldn't do that; there was still a chance, still a possibility, that Elaine would come back. Still something to live for. 

The afternoon sun bore down on the residents of London. It was another hot summer day. Another day without Elaine. He'd barely been able to get out of bed that morning. No, it wasn't the getting up and about that got to him the most, it was the waking up. That one second when he forgot she was gone and had to remember all over again was torture, terrible enough to lead him into situations like this.

Scipio went back into his bedroom and searched through the room, looking for something to occupy his time with, to distract himself. He found a bouncy ball Bo must have put there, a pen that didn't have any ink in it, and a few dirty socks. Nothing particulary interesting. He was about to play around with the bouncy ball when his hand hit something cold and bizarrely shaped. Scipio pulled whatever it was out from under the bed and discovered that it was his old bird mask. Memories of being the Thief Lord and the Stella swarmed into his mind, and he smiled for the first time in six weeks, thinking back to those happier times.

The doorbell suddenly rang from downstairs. Scipio put the mask back and went to answer it. Everyone else was busy playing video games in Mosca and Riccio's room, or, in Hornet's case, reading a book. None of them went to answer the door. _Well, they probably didn't hear it,_ he thought. Scipio turned the knob and pulled the door open, expecting some kid selling something for a school fundraiser.

His heart stopped beating.

"Hey, Scip," Elaine said nervously, turning a piece of paper over in her hands, again and again and again. "Um, I'm back."

She looked so different, but, somehow, quite the same. Her stomach was slightly larger, she was wearing a pretty green cotton dress Scipio had never seen before, and her hair was shorter, though not much. There was a healthy pink glow to her cheeks, and, though he may have been imagining it, he thought she was wearing makeup, something he'd never seen her in before. Elaine smiled awkwardly at him and waited for his response.

"Elaine?" he asked, shocked, voice cracked from lack of use. "I can't believe it! Where the _hell_ have you been?"

"Yeah...about that...it's a really long story..."

"Tell me about it, then," said Scipio, closing the door and sitting down on the porch swing. Elaine sat down next to him, still messing with the piece of paper.

"Well, I ended up getting on a train and going to my parents' house - it's about three hours away from here. I mean, I've never liked them that much, but I just wanted to see how things were. If that makes any sense. A lot of things have changed since I left. My mom quit her job a while back, so now instead of working all the time, she's always going out to clubs and stuff. Meeting guys and...well...you know."

"Yeah, I know. What about your dad? If you don't mind me asking," Scipio quickly added.

"He was in a car wreck two months after I ran away. There was a bunch of drunk teenagers that ran into his car in the middle of the night. He died on impact, the doctors said."

"Oh. I'm really sorry."

"It's okay. Well, it's not, really, but we weren't ever that close. It didn't upset me as much as you'd think it would. I told my mom about the baby, and, as weird as this may sound, I don't really think she actually cares. She was surprised, yeah, but she's got so many problems with all her boyfriends and junk at this point that she's really not that interested in it all." She sighed. "Isn't that horrible, to not even care about your own grandkid? I mean, whatever floats your boat, but still..."

"It is."

"So, anyway, I went to visit Remy's grave after staying with her for a few days. It's really pretty. It's by this river and there's trees and flowers all over the place. Remy always liked lilies, so I left some there. And guess who I ran into? Her parents! They really haven't been doing that well. I'm a bit worried about them, to be honest. You can tell something has changed. They used to joke around and stuff all the time and now they don't. I can understand it, but I'm still wondering if they'll be okay. I stayed at their house for the next few weeks, decided I'd come back, and, well...here I am."

There was silence. Scipio wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her and hold her forever. Elaine wanted him to do that very thing. But neither knew what the other wanted.

"I'm sorry I left," said Elaine uncomfortably after a moment. "It was really stupid of me to do that, I know---"

"No, it wasn't stupid at all. It was my fault more than anything. I never should have started arguing with you or any of that stuff. I'm really sorry, Elaine."

"It's okay." Again, nobody spoke. "So, um, what do you think? Again, I'm sorry, but I think that we could try and start over. You know. I really do care about you and all and I think that the baby should grow up with a father. I totally understand if you hate me now, but..." she trailed off into silence.

"And why do you think I hate you?" asked Scipio, a smile creeping upon his face, for some bizarre reason.

"Well...because I walked out out you and stuff...And I'm sure it hasn't been a bed of roses lately," she responded, a bit confused by his expression.

"Yes, you did leave. But who's stayed with you throughout your pregnancy?"

"You..."

"And who let you have a warm home at the Stella when you didn't have anywhere to stay?"

"You."

"And who moved all the way from Venice here with you to have a proper home for our baby?"

"Scipio, now you're making me feel bad..."

"I'm not trying to. My point is that I've gone through all of this with you and you honestly think I hate you?"

There was a pause. "Yes."

"You're too insecure for your own good. Of course I don't hate you. I don't even know where you got that from...But I'm still here, Elaine. Haven't you noticed it yet?"

Elaine smiled at him.

"Exactly."

Elaine put her head on his shoulder, and was relieved when he didn't pull away from her. "I love you so much. And, believe it or not, I actually mean it when I say that. Every time."

Scipio put his arm around her. "I love you, too. And I do mean it every time, as well."

"And, um...Scip? There's one more thing." Elaine was still turning the piece of paper over in her hands, and glanced down at it.

"Okay, shoot. What is that, anyway?"

"Um...well...it's a...schedule." She unfolded the piece of paper and handed it to him. It was a schedule, indeed. It said that whatever it was would take place on the fourteenth of that month, a few days from now, at 4:30 P.M., Dr. Maria H. Johnsen. Doctor? He thought. What does Elaine need a doctor for? And next to the doctors name was one word...

"Physciatrist?"

"Yeah." Elaine started to nervously wring her hands. "Don't worry, it's not your fault or anything. It's actually been going on for about eight months or so now...I've kept quiet because I didn't want you guys to think I was weird or anything, and I didn't want to complain. But sometimes it all got to be too much, and...and...it really sucked, you know? Sometimes I'd think...I'd think..."

"Think what?"

"Nothing important."

"Come on, Elaine, what is it?"

"Nothing, honestly. So I finally---"

"Just tell me what it is. Please." Scipio wasn't about to let her sink back down without knowing what really was on her mind. He thought he knew the answer, but he just hoped it wasn't true.

"Well...you know...some pretty horrible stuff. Like I just wanted to...die." The last word came out in a whisper. Immediately Elaine rushed on, "It's really not your fault, Scipio, it's not---"

"Elaine, why didn't you tell me?" Scipio found it hard to believe. He didn't want to know it, even if it was the truth. How could someone so perfect think like that? Why?

"I told you, I didn't want you to think I was weird." Elaine held up an arm and Scipio was horrified to see a long, white scar going down her wrist. "But I couldn't always keep it all in and this happened. I knew it was starting to get bad, but I never did anything. And it's not because of pregnancy and stuff, since, like I said, it's been going on for about eight months. I finally decided that I needed help or...however you say it, and I got myself this doctor. That'll be my first appointment. I'm lucky I got in so quickly."

Scipio was feeling...odd. He couldn't describe it. Even though Elaine said it wasn't his fault, he felt very guilty. Why hadn't he been able to notice something was wrong? With Elaine hurting herself, she could have ended up dead, and he wouldn't have had a clue...

"Honestly, Scipio, it isn't your fault," she said for a third time. "It's nobody's fault. And I just...I thought you should know...that I was going through this and if I seem kind of crabby or depressed or whatever at times, that it may not just be me being pregnant...and that I apologize in advance," Elaine finished quickly.

"I...I..." Scipio was trying to make sense of it all. "It's...it's fine. Really. I don't mind. I understand - I mean, I don't really know what it's like, since, you know, I've never been in your kind of situation - but it's okay. If there's ever anything I can do for you, just tell me."

Elaine smiled gratefully up at him. "Really? Do you really mean it?"

"I'm dead serious."

"What did I ever do to deserve someone like you..." she sighed.

Scipio said the first thing that came to mind. "You existed," he replied idiotically, causing Elaine to laugh.

"But really," he said, to cover up his moment of stupidity, "if you ever need anything---"

"Just tell you."

"Yes. And if you ever feel bad, um...well...if there's anything I can do to help---"

"Just tell you," Elaine repeated.

"Yes." Pause. "Elaine, seriously, I really am sorry that I didn't notice anything, and...yeah. Don't worry, I'll be right by your side during this whole thing. I promise."

Elaine smiled at him again and moved slightly closer. Their lips were inches away...Elaine could feel his breath on her face...she closed her eyes...

...and the door opened.

"Yeah, I'll be right back. Are you sure you don't need anything, Hornet?" Mosca was calling over his shoulder as he stepped onto the porch. There was a muffled response and he said, "Okay!"

Mosca closed the door behind him and turned around. His eyes fell on Elaine and widened. "Elaine...what...how did you...?"

Elaine smiled at him. "It's a long story, Mosca. But I'm back and staying for good. Is everyone else here? I'd like to explain some things."

"Y-yeah, they are. I was just about to go to the store but I'll wait. Uh, come in," Mosca stammered, opening the door again.

"One minute. I've got to ask Scipio something." Mosca nodded and went inside. They could hear his deep voice say something and Hornet's sudden ear-piercing, excited scream. Elaine and Scipio stood up and grinned at each other, imagining the braided girl's expression right now.

"And that question would be...?" asked Scipio.

"What we were talking about a second ago...you really mean it?"

Scipio grinned even wider as he scooped her into his arms and spun her around. Elaine giggled and felt a flurry of butterflies in her stomach as he kissed her forehead.

"Of course."

* * *

Author's Notes: Awww!

...Well, that's got to be the cheesiest thing I've ever written. Lol. Oh well, I had fun writing it. Sorry it took so long; I've had a lot of schoolwork lately and I've been babysitting my godson pretty much around the clock. Reviews are loved!


	22. Chapter 21

Author's Notes: I thought you all deserved some happiness after the sad updates I've been churning out lately. Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you still like my story. Sometimes I fear that it's getting to be too boring. But obviously, you all think not.  
This story is, believe it or not, near its end. I've only got to write about four or five more chapters and it'll be done. Yeah, I know it's sad, but I've decided that I simply am running out of places to go with this story and it should end sooner then I originally thought. But enjoy it anyhoo.

* * *

Time does not always heal all wounds, but in the case of Elaine and Scipio, it did. Slowly, things started to get back to normal. Scipio would be about to make some sarcastic remark and suddenly bite his tongue, knowing that it wouldn't be worth it. Elaine would be close to snapping at him with a pointless argument in her thoughts and stop herself mid-breath. It was hard, but they were trying.

A different kind of atmosphere settled over the house, full of sincerity and happiness. This was escalated when, a mere two days after Elaine had returned, she and Scipio went to see Dr. Cooke and came back with wonderful news.

They waited until dinner to announce it, but at once, everyone could tell something was up. There was something different in their moods, but when asked, they'd just say, "You'll find out at dinner."

Later that night, they all sat at the kitchen table, finishing off dessert. Scipio was stroking Elaine's hand and grinning to himself, oblivious to the fact that Riccio was giving him an odd look in between mouthfuls of cake. Elaine smiled over at Scipio and mouthed, "Should we tell them now?"

He nodded and they both stood up. "Well, you all, we've got great news," he beamed. Immediately, everyone starting asking what it was.

Elaine said joyfully, "It's a girl!"

Life was, at last, going along smoothly. The only arguments were the occasional fight over the last popsicle between Bo and Riccio. Scipio found himself carefully placing his words together when speaking to Elaine. He kept fearing that something he said would upset her. He really didn't know how sensitive she was or how her mind worked, as he'd never had the depression she now had. But Elaine seemed to be quite cheerful and content most of the time, so he stopped worrying about it so much.

With new days come new beginnings, and that certainly was the case with Elaine and Scipio. And so things began to fall into a peaceful lull...

* * *

"It'll be okay, I promise," said Scipio, giving Elaine's hand a small squeeze. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"I don't know!" replied Elaine hysterically. "Maybe this wasn't a good idea, maybe I should---"

"No, it was the perfect idea," said Scipio, trying to take Elaine with him into the physciatrist waiting room, but she didn't budge. "You'll be fine. Remember that she sees all kind of crazy stuff every day, like schizophrenia and all that. You're not the only one who's..." He trailed off and gave her wrist a glance.

"But what if---"

Scipio opened the door and the waiting room suddenly came into view. Ignoring her protests, he pulled her along with him to the front desk and gave the receptionist a smile. "Hello, Elaine Vieri has an appointment with Doctor Johnsen today at 4:30." He signed her in and they sat down on a comfortable sofa to wait.

"What if she thinks I'm a weirdo?" Elaine continued, looking ready to cry with all the anxiety inside of her. "What if she thinks I'm a suicidal maniac and puts me in an asylum?"

"Elaine."

"And then I won't be able to see you at all because I'll be in a straightjacket and put in one of those rooms---"

"Elaine."

"And what'll happen when they have to watch me all the time like a bunch of stalkers to make sure I don't fling myself out the window or---"

"Elaine!"

"What?"

"You're being ridiculous. I bet you anything that we'll walk out of here today with nobody accusing anybody of being insane. Be reasonable. Now, calm down, you know it's not good for the baby---"

"But Scipio, she'll totally chuck me in somewhere---"

"Elaine!" said Scipio again, and she finally quieted. "The most she'll do is make sure we keep an eye on you to make sure you don't do anything to harm yourself. And you haven't done it in what, four months?"

"But that doesn't mean I can just stop."

"I know, but she'll help you."

Elaine didn't speak and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Her expression turned slightly more relaxed and at ease. "Okay. Okay. I can do this."

"You sure can."

"Elaine Vieri?" Elaine looked ready to freak out all over again when a slim, tanned woman with dark hair entered the room with a clipboard. She and Scipio stood up, and the woman smiled at them.

"It's great to meet you, Elaine," she said as she lead them down a hallway towards her office. "I'm Doctor Johsen, but you can call me Maria."

"It's nice to meet you, too. Um, this is Scipio," Elaine said, feeling suddenly awkward. Doctor Johnsen opened a door and all three of them entered the room. A computer sat in the corner and paintings of flowers decorated the walls. Sitting down in separate chairs, Elaine and Scipio looked around uncertainly, not knowing what to do.

"So," said Doctor Johsen. Elaine started; she'd forgotten she was in the room. The doctor was in an armchair, clipboard still in hand, and smiling at her. "Where to begin?"

"Um," said Elaine, confused, "at the beginning?"

"Not if you don't want to."

"But I thought everything started at the beginning."

"Not in this room," said Doctor Johsen gently. Elaine looked down at her lap and back up at her.

"Well...my parents and I had never really gotten along...they weren't bad people, but they were more interested in their money and problems than me. Sure, they bought me whatever I wanted, but that doesn't always make a person happy. And my mom was cheating on my dad, with a different person every week, it seemed. They used to argue about it late into the night. When I started getting older, I started getting angrier at them. I used to go into whatever room they were fighting in when they were at it and scream at them because I hated them so much. They were ruining everything."

Doctor Johsen was taking notes on her clipboard and Scipio looked at Elaine with widened eyes. She'd never told him any of this.

"Eventually, my mom would leave for entire days, at whoever's house she'd hooked up with most recently. It would just be my dad and I alone in the house, wondering where she was. He always starting working double shifts when this happened and made a point to ignore me. More than once, I thought of running away or...well...you know..."

The doctor nodded sympathetically and looked at Elaine's wrist. She noticed the scars on one and took some more notes.

"Then, in seventh grade, I met Remy. She was everything I wasn't: confident, loud, a slight rule breaker. To most people, she was just 'that annoying girl,' but she had a heart, and a very big one if you knew her well. I told her about what went on at my house and she understood. Sometimes, when they fought, I'd just leave the house in nothing but my pajamas and spend the night at hers. She was about a five minute walk away, nothing too far.

"We were best friends, along with another girl we'd met, Madalyn. The three of us could spend hours together - usually at Remy's house - just goofing off. It was great. About four and a half years later, though..." Elaine looked over at Scipio, suddenly uncomfortable. He nodded encouragingly at her. "...Remy was murdered."

It was hard, but somehow, Elaine managed to get everything out. She told Doctor Johnsen about how she'd run away from Venice, been found by Scipio, taken to the Stella to live the life of a thief. She described the time when her depression had really begun to form, how she'd tried to harm herself to ease the pain. Then she told her about when she'd gotten pregnant with her future daughter, how they'd moved to London, how she'd walked out on Scipio weeks ago because of their arguments. It was too difficult to describe, and she cried a few times, but she made it. Elaine knew it was all worth it when it was finally out of her system and Doctor Johsen had left to go get a sample of the medicine she'd prescribed Elaine; a heavy weight was off her shoulders.

"You did such a good job," said Scipio, putting an arm around her waist and kissing the top of her head. "Telling her all that. I never could have done it."

"Yeah, well...it wasn't easy."

"Life's not _supposed_ to be easy," Scipio reminded her, and that, Elaine knew, was the truth.


	23. Chapter 22

Author's Notes: Okay, I'm sorry it took forever to get up! Teachers love to give you tons of homework before Christmas break, and my computer doesn't like me. But here it is! Chapter twenty-two! Only about three more to go!  
This chapter's a bit of a filler, and kind of short, but it's been floating around in my computer for a while and I decided to go ahead and put it up.  
Warning: This chapter mentions underage drinking.  
Enjoy!

* * *

The teenagers were all sitting in a circle on the floor, giggling drunkenly.

"Man, that was classic," said the brunette, clutching his stomach. "That was the most pathetic thing I've ever seen."

"Shut up!" responded the just-fifteen year old Elaine, smacking him on the arm. Even though her cheeks were red from embarassment, she couldn't help but laugh along with them. "Seriously, Josh, shut up before I hit you over the head with that chair over there."

"Oh, come on," said Josh, putting an arm around her waist, pulling her close, and kissing her cheek. "You know you love me too much for that."

"You might want to rethink what you're saying," Remy told him smoothly, setting her empty beer bottle down on the rug. "Elaine can beat up people pretty good, you know. I remember that one time she gave Riley Simmons - you remember him? - a black eye..."

"Yeah," said Elaine, grinning at her boyfriend. "Miss Binns or whatever her name was totally flew off the handle. She went nuts! God, I had detention for like...a week...it was crazy!"

"I guess I'll go run in fear, then," said Josh, standing up and running away from the room, screaming as he went. Everyone at the party erupted into laughter again as Elaine ran after him. When she finally caught up with him in the kitchen, she tickled his sides and, gasping for breath, Josh shouted, "HELP ME! HELPPPP! SHE'S A PHYSCO---"

But he stopped and looked at a spot behind Elaine. Turning around, she noticed Ashley Brownings, a rather rude and attractive friend of Millian Baxter, who was standing next to her and tossing her hair over her shoulder. "Hey, Josh," said Ashley slowly, giving him an easy smile.

"Hey, Ashley," he responded, and she and Millian left the room. Hurt, Elaine turned to Josh, shock evident on her face.

"What the hell was that all about, Josh?" she asked, feeling ready to go punch every inch of Ashley Brownings she could reach.

"Nothing," replied Josh, putting his arm around her waist once more and pulling her closer to him.

"Are you sure?" Elaine had a nasty feeling something was going on under her nose.

"Positive," he said, and caught her lips with his. As he ran his fingers through her dark hair with one hand and curling his other behind her neck, Elaine couldn't help but think that something was awfully wrong. What was with Josh and Ashley? Was he cheating on her?

But then he pulled her even closer, and she got lost in the moment. That could wait, she thought. Whatever was happening could wait. And anyway, Josh loved her more than anything, something he'd personally told her, so why would that suddenly change?

* * *

"I hate her!" screamed Elaine, breaking down into fresh tears. "That fucking whore! I hate, hate, hate her!"

"Elaine, please, don't do anything extreme," said Remy, putting an arm around her shoulder. On Elaine's other side, Madalyn's hand was linked in hers, and Elaine was grinding the bones in her hand to powder as she worriedly attempting to calm her friend down with Remy.

"Anything...anything ex-extreme? What the _fuck_ do you mean by that? She's destroyed everything for me, and I want to make sure she rots in Hell. Let me go!" With a rough, sudden movement, Elaine tried to pull away from her friends, but failed; Remy caught her and sat her down on the bench, while Madalyn stroked her hair.

"Come on, Elaine, it'll be fine," she said. "He doesn't deserve you, anyway. And Ashley's always been like this, she---"

"I know! And that's exactly why I...why I..." Elaine let her head drop into her hands and her friends heard muffled sobs and another vague "I hate her."

"Look, we'll go kick her ass for you if you want, but Elaine, it's really not worth it. That bastard Josh can go make out with her all he wants, but we don't care, and you shouldn't either. He's not good enough for you," Remy told her, holding her head up and gently prying her hands away. She and Madalyn pushed her hair out of her face and Madalyn dabbed under Elaine's eyes with a tissue, catching the running mascara as it slid down her cheeks.

"That good for nothing...ugh. I hate Ashley. I hate her so much. Why is she ruining my life?" Elaine sobbed, as the cold breeze blew into her face and made her tremble even more violently. Sniffling, she closed her eyes and bit down on her fingernail.

"She's just like that, Elaine, and you know it," said Madalyn. "Just don't even think about her or Josh. They---"

"But I didn't know! I didn't know that he was with her...he told me he loved me..." Elaine whispered hoarsely, trying to make her friends understand. Why weren't they listening? "He said that he'd be with me forever and that he wouldn't...he wouldn't...oh, why do I even try any more...?"

"Elaine, please, stop thinking that," said Madalyn, scared. She knew her friend had problems controlling her emotions, and the scars on her legs and wrists didn't make her feel any better. She was terrified for Elaine now, terrified that she'd do something horrible."Please, just stop. It'll be okay, I promise. He's a worthless piece of crap. He doesn't deserve you. Just...calm down, and we'll work this out..."

Remy was thinking the exact same thing as Madalyn and made a note to stay over at Elaine's house tonight to make sure she didn't do anything drastic. "Ashley...she...you can go beat her up as much as you want, but really, it won't be worth it..."

"Then I will," said Elaine, standing up and walking towards the school.

Alarmed, Remy pulled her back down to the bench. "No! Elaine! Stop! Really, it's not worth it!" she squeaked. "It won't do any good---"

"Oh, I know, it's just...it's so horrible..." Elaine sobbed, burying her face in Remy's neck. Remy and Madalyn each patted her back soothingly, trying to calm her down. "I just...I hate her..."

* * *

"Elaine? Elaine! It's okay! It's just a dream, seriously, it's not real...Wake up!"

Someone was shaking her; Elaine opened her eyes and was terrified by the sudden darkness. For a moment, she was still sixteen years old, still going through her first heartbreak, and it was all so real that she didn't understand that it was really nighttime and she wasn't sixteen years old, that she was eighteen and pregnant and Scipio was next to her. She didn't even notice the tears on her cheeks until Scipio brushed them away with a warm hand.

"Elaine? Are you awake?"

"Y-yeah..."

"You just had a bad dream. Are you okay? I'm Scipio, I'm right here...whatever it was, it wasn't real."

"Yeah, I know," she said, sitting up with him.

There was a pause. "I was woken up when you started moving around like a maniac and crying and stuff...Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, it's just..." Elaine trailed off and sighed, trembling slightly. She hugged Scipio close to her and the soft fabric of his pajamas was comforting, the smell of his hair familiar. "It's just...I...I don't know. You know I love you, right?"

"Yes, I do." There was more silence. "Do you need anything, Elaine?"

"No, I don't. But thanks." She settled back down into the covers and, after a moment, felt Scipio move and lay next to her. Elaine felt the baby move and suddenly was a bit more comforted, but, still a bit shaken up, fell back into an uneasy sleep...

* * *

Morning came faster than usual, and Elaine was awoken by a horrible burning smell coming from downstairs. Her first thought was that it was a fire; alarmed, she sat up and looked around for Scipio. She found him putting on a black jacket in front of the mirror, and, once he noticed she was awake, he said, "Good morning. Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, but what's that smell? It's making me naseauted..."

"Riccio was making pancakes with Mosca and Prosper, but they burned it."

"Oh." _Figures_, she thought. "I thought the house was on fire or something."

"No, it wasn't that bad, though those pancakes looked revolting."

Elaine lay back down for a few minutes as Scipio went downstairs, presumably to see what had happened to the pancakes. The sudden thought of Riccio, Mosca, and Prosper standing around in the kitchen freaking out over the burned pancakes made her giggle. She got up, got dressed, and went downstairs.

In the kitchen, Bo greeted her by running up to her and saying "Good morning, Elaine!" He said the same thing to her stomach, only much louder and with "baby" instead of "Elaine."

"I don't think she can hear you, Bo," said Elaine, laughing again.

"I know. That's why I was yelling."

They all ate biscuits that Elaine made - without burning them - and sat around talking for a while, especially making comments about the weather, which was steadily getting colder every day. What none of them did notice - besides Elaine and Scipio, of course - was the diamond ring on Elaine's left hand.

* * *

Author's Notes: BAHAHAHA! I win at life! I think you've all been waiting for that for a long time now, teehee. In case it wasn't clear, Elaine was remembering (in her dreams) her fifteenth birthday and being with her first real boyfriend. Then the second memory is when she found Ashley and Josh...um...getting a little too close at school one day and she stormed outside to get emotional over it, with Madalyn and Remy trying to calm her down.  
Love it? Hate it? Own a pair of houseshoes I can borrow? Tell me! Just click the little button down there next to 'Review' that says Go. Thanks for reading!


	24. Chapter 23

Author's Notes: Lol, either one. Though I did play a pretty nutty game of Life the other day (and lost, phht, but oh well.) Only two more chapters to go! Eee!  
Here's the next chapter! This chapter's a bit short, but I like it. The next one will be a lot longer. Enjoy...

* * *

The evening breeze was rather chilly, but that didn't stop Elaine from standing out on the balcony and looking at the stars. She'd always loved the cold weather, even during the days of living in the Stella, when it wasn't too much warmer inside than outside. When they had lived in Venice, she hadn't seen a single snowflake all winter long, and she was looking forward to the snow London had around this time.

Elaine heard the sliding door from behind her open and didn't turn around, knowing that it was probably Scipio. Indeed, a moment later he was standing beside her and asking, "What're you doing?"

"Just looking at the stars. And thinking about stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" He propped his elbows on the railing and looked up at the sky with her.

"How it never snowed in Venice. Apparently it snows like crazy here every winter, which I'm actually pretty excited about. I haven't seen snow too much in my life."

"Well, you should be excited. You'll be able to throw snowballs at Riccio and laugh at him."

Elaine smiled at him, but her smile faded after a few seconds and she looked back at the stars. Scipio knew there was something on her mind that was bothering her, and tried to get her to say what it was.

"Are you thinking about anything else? Is something wrong?"

"No, it's just..." She sighed. "Nothing. Nevermind."

"Come on, Elaine, you can tell me what it is."

"I...well...I'm just worried about when the baby comes. It's not just the fact that it's gonna hurt like hell, I'm just scared that something will go wrong. I've heard all sorts of bad stories about women giving birth where they or the baby die or they have all these medical problems for years to come...I'm really nervous about the whole thing."

"Everything will be fine," said Scipio. "I promise."

"I know, it's just..." Elaine decided to agree with him, or pretend to, anyway, because he always got upset when she was feeling down, and she didn't want that to happen. Besides, this was one thing that no amount of reassurance from anyone allowed her mind to allay her fears. This was something she would have to go through alone. "It's nothing, Scip. I'm sure it'll all be okay."

"Yes, it will be."

Nobody spoke. After a moment, Scipio moved his hand so that it was around Elaine's, and she smiled at him. They gazed at the sky; a few clouds dotted it, but otherwise it was a very clear night.

"You know, I've been thinking," he said finally. "About the wedding and stuff. We haven't really decided on a date yet, have we?"

"No," said Elaine, looking down at her hand, watching the moonlight glint off of the diamond ring. "But I want it to be soon, before I get any bigger. I don't want to look like an elephant on my wedding day." She was exactly seven months pregnant today, and her stomach was rather large; she'd have to go shopping for more maternity clothes soon, as her clothes barely fit her.

"You won't be---" Scipio protested.

"No, really, I will. I feel self-conscious as hell every day, so how do you expect me to feel any different on my wedding day? I'd prefer it sooner than later."

"Whatever you want. Just don't stress over the whole thing, because it's not---"

"---good for the baby, I know," finished Elaine for him. "Believe me, Madalyn and Hornet have already practically driven themselves to tears with all the crazy planning they've been doing for it lately. They'd do the whole thing if we asked them to. It's already taken care of, Scip, don't worry about me."

"Oh, okay. Well, that's good."

"Mmm-hmm. And speaking of not really deciding on things...what are we going to name the baby?"

"Well, we did decide on Ellen as the middle name, didn't we?" asked Scipio.

"Yeah, we did, but what about a first name?"

Scipio shrugged. "I don't know."

"Well, you're a lot of help," said Elaine sarcastically, grinning at him.

"I know I am."

"But, anyway, I think I've come up with a good name. I mean, you may or not agree with me on it, and if so, that's okay, but I'd really like to name her this..."

"And what would that name be?" Scipio asked her.

* * *

"Elaine, you have to get over here right now," said Madalyn's forceful voice over the phone. Elaine sleepily rubbed her eyes; she hated being woken up at 7:00 in the morning by a ringing phone, especially when she was so far along in her pregnancy.

"W-Why?" yawned Elaine.

"Remy's parents are flying in about right this second. And your mom."

"Wait...what?"

"Remy's parents are coming to London, Elaine. Right now. With your mom."

"Why?" Elaine asked again.

"Didn't you read the newspaper this morning?"

"Well, no, because I was too busy sleeping---"

"She's been caught, Millian, about twenty minutes away from my house. Apparently it's not only Remy she's...murdered."

Elaine's mind suddenly went blank and everything else seemed to fade away but one thought: _They've got here, they've finally got her..._"Oh, my God..."

"Yeah, and apparently friends and family of Remy are supposed to go to this court somewhere a few days from now for the trial---"

"But that's...I can't believe it. Why's my mom coming?"

"Because she wanted to see you," said Madalyn, and she hesistated for a bit before continuing on: "...and be there for your wedding."

"Wait up a second. _What the hell are you talking about_, Madalyn? My mom doesn't give a shit about me---"

"Well, she does now," Madalyn responded.

"But...It's 7 in the morning, Madalyn. I'm tired and pregnant. I can't---"

"Elaine, you know that you're just making this up because you don't want to see her," Madalyn told her. It was as though she'd read her mind. "Listen, they'll all be at the airport soon, and if you don't want to see your mom then that's okay, but I just wanted to call you if you did," she went on, voice now gentler, softer.

"I---" Elaine stopped herself from continuing that sentence. "Are you going to meet Remy's parents there?"

"Yes. You're welcome to go with me, but you have to come really soon."

"Well..." But Elaine was already walking up the stairs to she and Scipio's bedroom, ready to get dressed, brush her hair, and leave. "I'll be over at your house in about ten minutes, okay, Maddi?"

"I'll see you then, Elaine..."


	25. Chapter 24

Author's Notes: Okay, you guys, this is the second-to-last chapter. I know, I can't believe it either! -weep, weep- And don't worry, when this story is over, I'll put up one (or two!) more Thief Lord fics for you to enjoy.  
Poll time! Should I write a sequel to this story or not? If I did, it would be about the baby (though when she's a bit more grown up - probably a teenager). The only problem is that I don't know how to write it so that it would still be a Thief Lord fanfic, because, you know, there's no Stella or anything, but if you really want a sequel, I'll figure out something or other.  
Lurkers, PLEASE review and tell me what you think it should be. If I get enough feedback saying yes, I'll put up a sequel, and your opinion matters more than ever now. Thank you! A simple "Yes" or "No" will do, you don't have to make your review detailed.  
I've got exams in school coming up (ugh), and the next chapter will be loooong, so you might have to wait a while. Believe me, though, you'll like it just as much as I do.  
Enjoy! And remember, please tell me whether or not you think I should write a sequel.

* * *

"HORNET! Hornet! Where is she, Maddi?" a frantic Elaine asked Madalyn, running through the room in her white slip and opening doors, trying to find her braided friend. "She has the dress, she has it and I don't know _where_ she is and it's about to begin and---" 

"Whoa, calm down, Elaine," said Madalyn, picking up her long dress so it wouldn't drag on the floor as she carefully walked over to Elaine. "I'm sure she's right around---"

"Here it is!" said Hornet, suddenly emerging into the room with Elaine's dress in her hands, along with a pair of high heels. "I found your shoes, too, Elaine."

"Thank you," said Elaine, taking them from her. She put the shoes on the ground and put on her dress, getting Hornet to help her with the zipper in back. It was a lovely wedding dress that snugly fit, unlike most of the dresses in the store; it came down to Elaine's feet and was made of a silky lavender material. She hadn't wanted to go with the traditional white color, partly because she wanted to be different, and partly because "White always makes you look bigger, and I'm fat enough already". Her dark brown hair was carefully tied up with a few loose strands hanging around her face - courtesy of Madalyn - and she'd applied her own makeup, subtle and yet still noticeable.

"Wow, you look great," said Hornet.

"Yeah, you really do," echoed Madalyn, watching Elaine put on her shoes. "You're growing up right before my eyes...I sound like a mom, I know, but still...Just look at you!"

"Well, thanks," responded Elaine, standing up and smiling at them. There was a sudden knock at the door and Madalyn and Hornet went to answer it. Elaine heard them talking to someone else, Hornet left the room, and Madalyn came back in.

"Um, well, your mom's here," she said. "And she wants to talk to you."

"Oh. Then I should---"

"Wait." Elaine stopped in her tracks. "I just have one more thing to say."

"Which is...?"

Madalyn hugged Elaine, looking as though she were about to cry. "You look beautiful," she said. "If...If Remy were here, you know she'd be proud of you. Screw that, she _is_ right now, wherever she is. And I know that life can be kind of scary sometimes, but we'll always be here for you, you know? Me, Hornet, Scipio, Remy...all of us. We love you."

"Thanks, Maddi," replied Elaine, hugging her friend close, suddenly emotional herself. "I love you."

Madalyn let go of Elaine, gave her a small, final smile, and left the room. At the same time, Elaine's mother poked her head in and, for one of the first times Elaine could remember, smiled at her.

"Wow, Elaine!" she said, shutting the door behind her and grinning at her daughter. "You look great! I can't believe my little girl's already getting married..."

Elaine stared at her. This was the most attention she'd ever received from her mother. What had changed? "Um, thanks," she managed to get out.

"Elaine, I...I..." She could tell her mother was struggling to say what she was thinking. "I know I've never really been a good mom, but...when you left a few months ago, I got to thinking. And if you don't like me at all right now, then I understand, but I just want to try to start over and be a nice mom...and grandmother." She hesitated, and Elaine caught a sudden whiff of perfume. "I...As you know, I've been staying at a hotel for a while now, but I'm thinking of getting a job and moving into this little house by that candy store, you know which one I'm talking about? The one on Ford Street?"

"Yeah..." Elaine was still confused, and wary; she knew that it was easier than anything for her mother to break that self-promise. But somewhere inside of her, she was starting to feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

"...so, I really hope that you'll forgive me, or at least let me be a part of my granddaughter's life," her mother was saying. She finished talking at looked at Elaine, waiting for her reply.

"I...do you promise?" asked Elaine stupidly; it was the first thing to come to mind.

Her mother smiled. "Of course I do."

"Well, in that case...Okay. I mean, I can't...I can't just say that everything's suddenly alright, because I know it won't be, but for now...I guess it is," said Elaine, smiling back. She looked at the clock in the room and started. "It's time!" she squeaked nervously, going towards the door.

"Just keep calm, because after all, what's the worst that could happen?" her mother said. "You'll do fine."

"Okay, Mom, thanks." It was the first time in several years she had called her 'Mom,' and both of them didn't see it coming. Her mother gave one last smile and left to sit in her seat to watch the wedding. Prosper was standing around waiting for Elaine in a clean suit; he'd be the one to lead her down the aisle. He grinned at her.

"Ready?"

"Yeah," said Elaine, linking her arm in his. "Let's go."

Everything happened so fast, Elaine didn't know what to think; one moment she was walking down the aisle with what felt like a million pairs of eyes on her, and the next, she and Scipio were exchanging vows of love and care. A sense of relief washed over her when Scipio kissed her; she'd kept fearing that something would go wrong. Now it was officially sealed: they were married! When Elaine threw the bouquet into the air, Madalyn was the one to catch it, and laughed over that.

The reception party went just as well as the actual wedding. Riccio got a faceful of cake when Bo shoved him from behind into his plate, and everyone laughed as they watched him chase the blonde-haired boy around. All of the guests, though there weren't many, kept giving Elaine pats on the back and congratulating her and Scipio. The couple's dance only consisted of Elaine and Scipio, but they were fine with that. Everyone else sat around eating cake and drinking champagne, talking about the wedding and the baby and anything else related to the couple. Elaine smiled when she realized the song that was playing was "In The Rough" by Anna Nalick, one of her favorite singers. She remembered telling Hornet she liked the song a few days previously and had a feeling she knew who was behind it.

The young couple made their way down the front steps of the church towards the car that would be taking them to the hotel where they would be spending the night and a shower of multicolored flower petals flew into the evening air. Elaine grinned, feeling a sudden, powerful rush of adreline and happiness. The wedding guests were waving and, in the case of the women there, saying teary goodbyes as Elaine shut the car door and they drove off, "Just Married," painted on the back window of the car.

"God, Scipio, I love you so much," Elaine said, giving his hand a squeeze. He grinned and kissed her cheek.

"I love you, too." His hand slid over onto her stomach, and the baby gave an almighty kick, greeting her father. Elaine smiled at her husband and put her head on his shoulder, feeling the baby move around. Finally, just the three of them were the family they were destined to be.

Finally.


	26. Chapter 25

Author's Notes: I have got so much to say, it's insane.  
First of all, this is the last chapter. I'm all teary-eyed right now. It's sad, I know, but I made this chapter as best as I could, and, if I do say so myself, I think it's my best one. Ever. Besides, I'll put the sequel up in a few days. So while Elaine and Scipio's story is now over, their daughter's is just beginning. Thanks to everyone who sent in messages and left reviews with your opinion.  
I would like to thank all of my reviewers for being so nice. You guys are the only ones who kept me going. InkySubstance, this is for you: Thank you for being my very first reviewer and for leaving comments for every chapter. I really appreciated it...and still do.  
Evanescence, My Chemical Romance, Flyleaf, Avril Lavigne, and all of the other bands and artists who I love, even though I know you'll never read this, thank you so much for being my main inspiration. Your music got me out of the dumps of writer's block and led me to where this story is today. Emmy, Corina, and you, Jake, I love you! (Even though I barely know you, Corina, but mah biceps are still lolliful - If anyone else is reading this and you're confused, it's an inside joke.) Thanks for everything! And Seb, "your girlfriend" is still taken, you stinkin' loser. Haha, just kidding, of course. Keep rockin' on! Here we go! Happy Holidays, everyone, and thanks for reading!

* * *

Each snowflake independently cartwheeled through the air, twisting and turning before landing on the ground, the bare trees, or the houses. A lopsided snowman sat on the front lawn with coals on where its mouth would be curved upward in a smile and a familiar black mask shaped like a bird's beak covering the rest of its face. The street was silent, each house full of the Christmas spirit and family, gifts and friends, food and decorations.

The Massimos' house was very busy and warm, with the fireplace merrily crackling in the corner, flames dancing on the wood. Everyone was making some sort of noise; Bo was running around with his new toy airplane and kept falling onto the couch, Riccio, Mosca, and Prosper were sitting in a corner talking together and drinking hot chocolate, Mosca reaching over to change the radio stations, which were full of Christmas tunes, every now and then, and Elaine was on the floor with The Nutcracker in her hands, reading to her enormous stomach, with Scipio and Hornet listening in. The smell of sugar cookies wafted through the air from where they were cooling off in the kitchen, fresh out of the oven.

The doorbell rang, barely heard above the noise, and Elaine stood up to answer it, wondering if it was Madalyn, who'd said that she would be staying with them for the day and night. Indeed, when she turned the knob and pulled the door open, Madalyn, in a dark blue coat, flew into her arms.

"Merry Christmas, Elaine!" she said, cheeks pink from the cold. She was holding a number of wrapped boxes in her hands, presumably presents.

"Merry Christmas, Maddi! Come on in, we let Bo open one of his presents but you're just in time...And I made cookies, do you want any?"

"Of course I do, they smell good. And look at who I brought along with me?" Madalyn stepped to the side, beaming, and Elaine saw her mother standing there, also with presents in her hands, who grinned at her.

"Hey, sweetie!" she said, giving Elaine a hug as well. "Merry Christmas! How are you?"

"Fat," responded Elaine with a smile. "I'm so glad to see you! Come in, you two must be freezing!" She moved out of the way and they walked inside of the house. Elaine shut the door before a flurry of snowflakes could get inside and followed them into the living room.

"Hi, Madalyn," said Hornet, and, after noticing Elaine's mother, added politely, "Hello, Miss Vieri." Her name was not legally still Vieri, but she insisted that they call her that. "Merry Christmas!"

Greetings went around the room, and Madalyn and Miss Vieri set their gifts under the Christmas tree, then walked behind Elaine into the kitchen. Elaine took a plate out of the dishwasher and put the cookies on it, spraying green sprinkles on them.

"Those look great!" said Miss Vieri. "I didn't know you were a cook."

"I didn't either," said Elaine, grinning at her.

Riccio immediately took a handful of cookies off of the plate when Elaine came back in and shoved them all into his mouth at once, choking a few seconds later. Elaine laughed at him and he shot her a glare.

"Now can we open presents? Pleeeeeease?" Bo begged Elaine; she'd said to let it wait until everyone was there. She nodded and he was suddenly at the bottom of the tree, gift wrapping flying into the air.

"Well, he sure didn't waste any time, did he?" said Madalyn, watching him.

"No, he didn't," agreed Elaine. "But hey, we all did that at that age, so you can't blame him." She sat down next to Bo and picked up a present addressed to her, from Hornet, and started unwrapping it. Soon, everyone was opening presents, and the sound of wrapping paper coming off of gifts filled the air.

"Oh, Hornet, thank you!" Elaine said, holding up her new CD. "When did I tell you I like Ray Charles?"

"You didn't," replied Hornet. "Scipio did."

Once everyone was done opening their Christmas gifts, it was time for lunch. Miss Vieri, Hornet, Elaine, and Madalyn set to work making lasagna in the kitchen, in the mood for an Italian meal, something Elaine hadn't had in a while. About half an hour or so later, they all sat around at the table, eating, talking about Christmas and listening to the radio from the next room. Elaine sat back in her chair, feeling sleepy and full, when the baby's frantic kicking made her feel a little uneasy. It actually hurt a little.

"What's wrong?" asked Bo after giving a detailed description of his toy cars to Mosca, the only one to notice her worried expression.

"Nothing, it's just...the baby's acting kind of funny."

There was a sudden silence, and everyone stared at Elaine. "Elaine, are you okay?" asked Scipio nervously.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's---" The kicking suddenly stopped. "I'm okay."

"If you say so," said Scipio, going back to his conversation with his mother-in-law. Bo got out of his chair, walked over to Elaine, and started to talk to her stomach.

"Baby," he said, "it's Christmas! You don't know what it is, but it's where you get a lot of toys. It's really fun! And I got you a toy, too, so I hope you're okay." Indeed, he'd handed Elaine his old stuffed duck before they'd sat down to eat, saying it was for the baby. Elaine smiled down at him.

"Thank you, Bo. We both feel a lot better now."

The day passed in much the same manner, and night soon fell. Bo went to bed earlier than anyone else, exhausted after playing with his toys nonstop for a good few hours, and Mosca, Prosper, and Riccio soon followed suit. Miss Vieri, Elaine, Scipio, Madalyn, and Hornet stayed in the living room watching Christmas movies on the television, with Miss Vieri on one of couches, Madalyn and Hornet on two others, and Scipio and Elaine on a mattress on the floor. They'd decided to sleep in the living room tonight just for fun, like a kind of campout.

At around eleven o'clock, Scipio finally fell asleep during the movie Elf, leaving Elaine as the only one awake. She was exhausted, but the baby was keeping her up with her kicking and moving around. What seemed like several hours later, her eyes shut, but it was only a few minutes later that she was awoken by a sudden, sharp pain in her stomach. That's when she really started to worry.

Elaine sat up and put her hands over her stomach when another wave of pain shot through her body. "Scip..." she groaned, feeling worse than she'd ever felt in her life. He did not wake up. "Scip!" she said a little louder, and still he slept on. And suddenly, gasping for breath, she knew what was happening:

She was in labour.

"SCIP!" she practically screamed, and, thinking of nothing else to do, hit him as hard on the shoulder as possible. He jerked awake and sat up too as more movement sounded from around the room; Elaine's loud voice had woken everyone up.

"What?" he said. "What is it, Elaine?"

"The...baby's..." She inhaled sharply, feeling as though she were about to die. "The baby's coming!"

Madalyn's voice came from somewhere nearby: "What?!" There was more movement, and the sound of the couch's springs as she got up. Someone turned on the light, and suddenly Hornet, Madalyn, and Miss Vieri were gathered around the scene, looking at Elaine with worried eyes.

"Elaine, honey, are you sure?" asked Miss Vieri. "There's always a chance that it could be false---"

"OF COURSE I'M SURE!" shrieked Elaine. "If you all don't get me to the hospital right NOW, I _swear_ I will---"

"Okay, can someone get the overnight bag?" asked Scipio, putting his hand around Elaine's, and Madalyn stood up. "It's in our bedroom on top of the dresser, it's brown and kind of hard to miss---" Madalyn nodded and darted up the stairs before he could finish the sentence.

"And Hornet, go wake up Mosca so he can help me get her out to the car." Hornet crossed the room and opened the door to Riccio and Mosca's bedroom, and a moment later, they heard her shaking him awake and his grumbling.

"It--Oh, God, Scip, it hurts," whimpered Elaine as the pain increased, promptly bursting into tears. He kissed her forehead and reassuringly stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.

"I know, I know," he said. "We'll be out of here in no time. Everything will go okay, I promise."

"You'll be fine, Elaine," said Miss Vieri. "I know it's painful as heck, but when we get there, just focus on getting the baby into this world and it'll go smoothly. It'll all be over before you know it."

"What's going on?" asked Mosca sleepily, coming into the room with Hornet and Madalyn behind him, Madalyn with the overnight bag slung over her back.

"The baby's on her way," answered Hornet. "You need to help Scipio get Elaine into the car." Mosca walked over to Elaine, and he and Scipio picked her up and went towards the front door. Madalyn went ahead of them and opened it, while Miss Vieri picked up the blanket from the couch she'd been sleeping on, knowing it was cold outside. When they all went to the front lawn, Elaine was already in the backseat and Scipio was getting the car started.

"Do you want us to come with you?" Hornet asked Elaine, shutting the car door behind her so that the cold wouldn't get inside. Elaine nodded, biting down so hard on her bottom lip that a few drops of blood appeared. Madalyn sat down in the passenger's seat next to Scipio and Hornet and Miss Vieri stayed in the backseat with Elaine.

"Mom, is it supposed to hurt this---?" began Elaine, stopping in mid-sentence as contraction number three hit. She suddenly felt liquid on her knees and moaned. "Oh, God, my water just broke. This nightgown is done for." There was no going back now...

"Okay, um, Elaine, let's work on the breathing excercises," said Hornet, smoothing the hair away from her friend's sweaty face. "Deep breath in...now let it out."

Elaine followed her instructions, but was soon a hysterical, sobbing mess again. "I can't do this!" she wailed. "I can't---"

"Yes you can," objected Miss Vieri, draping the blanket over her daughter. "Think of things that make you happy. Like chocolate and decorating the nursery and Scipio and things like that..."

"Remember that time it was your birthday at the Stella?" asked Hornet. "And Riccio ate over half the cake and then we all threw a bunch of pillows at him..."

"Yeah," said Elaine, smiling even through the pain. She remembered that day very well, as though it were yesterday...

* * *

"Riccio! You idiot!" Elaine laughed, as another pillow soared through the air and narrowly missed her head. "I now declare a pillow war because you're not smart enough to give up yet," she stated, standing up on a faded chair and ducking again as a pillow wizzed by her ear.

"Now, what's this I hear about pillow wars?" a deep, familiar voice asked, and every eye in the room turned to Scipio, who was standing at the front of the stairway and grinning.

"How'd you get in?" asked Mosca.

"That is for me to know and you to bother me about for the next two weeks," responded Scipio suddenly, stepping into the light. He placed his burlap bag on the stage and said, holding his hands behind his back, "Happy birthday, Elaine. The big eighteen, huh?"

"Yep," she replied. "What are you hiding?"

"Nothing." He turned so that his back was against the stage and grinned at Elaine, who hopped down from the chair and walked towards him. She tried to get his hands out from behind his back, but he just held one up, fist clenched around something, still grinning.

"Hey! That's not fair!" said Elaine, trying to get his hand down; he kept it out of her reach. Annoyed, she looked at a spot behind him and said, trying to sound genuine, "Holy crap! It's the cops! Run!"

Scipio and everyone else in the room turned around, Scipio dropping his hand, and at last Elaine got whatever it was out of his hand. It was a very expensive-looking bracelet, and, like so many times before, she wondered how he'd managed to steal it without getting caught.

"Hey!" said Scipio, turning around to face her again. "You tricked---"

"Oh, wow, Scipio," she breathed, not listening to him, watching the light glint off of the bracelet. "It's beautiful."

* * *

"Think about, uh, beaches," Hornet said. "Beaches with crystal-clear water and white sand with palm trees blowing around in the breeze..."

"Hornet," said Elaine, "I am not thinking about any beaches. I feel like I'm about to fucking die. When are we going to get there?" Another pain shot through her body and she bit down on the blanket to stop from screaming.

"We're about five blocks away," said Scipio from the front. "We're almost there, Elaine, just hold on."

"Okay," said Elaine, nodding, as fresh tears sprung into her eyes, voice muffled slightly by the blanket. "Okay."

* * *

"That was amazing!" cheered Elaine, clapping her tired, but happy friend on the back. "You sounded great!"

"Thanks," said Remy. "I can't believe it! Last year when I tried out for Show Choir, I didn't make it, but I guess I somehow got better..."

"Of course you did!" said Elaine as they headed down the school's empty hallway. The dismissal bell had rung half an hour ago, and the only people left were those at the Show Choir auditions. "Man, that was fantastic, just fantastic..."

* * *

Elaine inhaled sharply as tears spilled down her cheeks once more. She could see the hospital coming up through the windows, and was relieved. Finally, they were there.

* * *

"...and we will become the Harry Potter Dorks of the Year and name a beetle colony 'George.' They will carry spears and attack Millian Baxter's feet," Remy said, face remarkably straight.

"I think you've had too much candy, Remy," giggled Elaine.

"So? It's Halloween."

"And we have school tomorrow. When you come in with a candy hangover, the teachers will wonder if the end of the world is nearer than they think."

Remy seemed to find this hilarious. "Candy hangover!" she howled, clutching her stomach and rolling around on the bed. Elaine just shook her head at her.

"Yep, too much candy."

* * *

Elaine was placed in a wheelchair and rolled towards a birthing suite the second they entered the double doors, everyone else right behind her (Madalyn and Hornet had been forced to say they were Elaine's sisters, as friends weren't allowed in the room during birth.) A nurse helped her into a blue hospital gown with flowers all over it and laid her down on the bed, where she waited for the doctor to come in.

"Are you okay?" asked Scipio, grabbing a hold of her hand once more.

"No, not at all. If that doctor doesn't get her ass in here right now, I'll..." Elaine left her threat unfinished and nearly crushed Scipio's bones as another contraction hit.

"Hello," said the doctor when she finally came in, and, after a quick glance at her clipboard, added, "Elaine. Now, let's see how much longer you've got to go." She poked and prodded, and Elaine squeezed the life out of Scipio's hand.

"Well, you're pretty far along," chirped the doctor when her examination was done. "Would you like some medicine to help?"

"Yes, of course I do."

"I'll be right back with it, then," said the doctor, and she exited the room.

"What the hell was that all about?" fumed Elaine. "That bitch knows that I'm already in enough fucking pain as it is, there's no need for that--"

"I know, honey, I know," said Miss Vieri, sitting in the chair on the side of Elaine that Scipio wasn't standing by. Hornet and Madalyn pulled up two chairs as well and looked into her tired face, telling her words of comfort and encouragement.

The doctors told Elaine, about two hours later, that it was time for the real pushing to go underway as the contractions came closer and closer together. As if she had enough energy left to push! However, she followed her mother's advice and concentrated on nothing but getting the baby out of her. Every time a contraction hit, she'd push with all the energy she had at the moment. Eventually, the doctors, Hornet, Madalyn, Miss Vieri, and even Scipio all faded away, and she was suddenly alone, determined and exhausted.

It was about 1:00 in the morning when it happened. Elaine's attention was so focused on having the baby that she didn't notice everyone start to leave. When she became suddenly aware of it, terrified, she looked around, trying to find them. The doctors were gone, Scipio was gone, nobody was in the room.

Nobody besides one person.

Elaine's heart slowed dramatically and nearly stopped beating altogether when she heard that voice. She hadn't heard it in so long, and she'd thought she'd never hear it again. But it was there, it was real, that was for sure.

"Elaine?"

Remy strode towards her in a long white dress, wavy blonde hair flowing down her back, cherry lips smiling. She looked almost like...

Like an angel.

"Oh, I'm so glad to see you're okay," Remy told her. "You're doing great, just keep going. The baby's almost here!"

Elaine took a long look at her friend and began to sob out of shock. The overwhelming desire to hold her, to be in her arms again, completely overtook her, and she sat up as best as she could and held her arms out. Remy smiled and hugged her friend tightly.

"Remy! But how did - what?- Oh my God...How is it possible?"

Remy smiled again. "You're not dead, if that's what you're thinking. I just thought I'd come by and say hello while my best friend's daughter was being born."

"But...Remy...why?...Oh my God, I can't believe it...I love you, Remy, I love you so much!" The tears were flowing like a river now, falling down her cheeks, neck, chest. Elaine was numb with shock. There was nothing to say, nothing to do. Nothing but feel whole again for the first time in a long while.

"I love you too, Elaine. More than anything." Remy held her even closer.

"Don't leave me, please," begged Elaine. "Please, Remy, I love you. And I'm so sorry about Millian - that bitch - I..."

"Sorry?" said Remy, still smiling, and, to Elaine's horror, she let go of her and walked around the room, more silently than a ghost. "For what? Setting me free?"

"I...I didn't...I miss you, Remy. Oh my God, I love you so much...Please don't leave me..."

"I won't," said Remy. "I never did. I've always been right here, even if you haven't noticed it. I always will be."

The room was starting to fade, lights turning brighter, and Elaine pleaded, "Remy! Don't leave! Please, don't---!"

"I'm right here," said Remy, and she was, right next to Elaine. She kissed her cheek and stepped away, though her voice was still soft, still closer than ever, as she said, "I'm right here..."

* * *

"Elaine! Come on, we're almost there, keep going! Just a few more pushes!" the excited doctor was saying from the end of the bed, nearly jumping around like a small child. Elaine looked around the room, confused; Remy was gone, but everyone else was still there.

"Scip? What just happened?" she asked him, voice many octaves higher than normal. His expression turned into a confused one.

"What do you mean?"

"With Remy! It just---!"

"Elaine, what are you talking about? You've just been giving birth for the past few hours. Nothing else has happened."

"I---" Elaine shut up abruptly, mind racing, heart full of wonder. Everyone else was looking confused too. Had it only happened to her? What was going on?

"Come on, Elaine, now push," the doctor said, and Elaine pushed harder than she had all night long, suddenly filled with energy unlike anything she'd ever felt before. Suddenly, everything didn't hurt so much. She was still wondering what had happened with Remy, but her heart was growing full of curiosity and love, the best feeling of happiness she'd ever achieved. Elaine felt another prescence in the room, and Remy's words echoed in her ears: I've always been right here. I always will be...

"Oh! I see a head!" said the doctor. "Another push, Elaine, just a few more! We're almost here!" Elaine pushed again, thinking only of Remy. Since her death, she'd felt nothing but emptiness, her heart frozen cold with grief. But now, that hole had been filled, filled with a love burning so strong words could not describe it. It was all over now, the numbness, emptiness, sadness that occured whenever thoughts of Remy filled her head. It had been replaced by something much, much better.

"One more!" the doctor practically shouted. "One more big one, Elaine, and the baby's here!" Elaine looked into Scipio's eyes and, to both of their surprise, grinned as another contraction hit and she pushed for the last time. The doctor was reaching down, and suddenly holding a small, slimy little baby, which was wailing into the noise. The nurses cleaned her off, put a blanket around her, and carefully placed her into her mother's arms.

"It's a girl," one of the nurses said softly.

Elaine looked down at this perfect, beautiful little being, and starting to cry along with the new baby. She had ten fingers and ten toes, just the right amount. Her eyes were shut, though tears were streaming down them. She had her father's pale skin, Elaine's blue-green eyes (from what she could tell), and, judging from the dark brown fuzz on her head, Elaine's hair.

"She's beautiful," said Elaine, still crying, as she handed the baby to Scipio. He looked down at her with wonder, and, for the first time Elaine could remember, started to cry. It was an amazing thing, a father with his newborn little girl. Eventually, he handed her back to Elaine, who gave the baby to Miss Vieri.

"I'm a grandmother!" she gasped. "I can't believe it! She's beautiful, you two...Oh my God...I can't believe it...I'm a grandmother!"

The baby was then handed to Madalyn, who started to cry. "She's the most perfect little baby I've ever seen," she said. "I can't believe it...Hello, little baby," she said to the baby. "I'm Madalyn. You're so beautiful...I love her already, you guys."

"What do you say about being godmother, Maddi?" Elaine asked her. Madalyn's eyes, brimming over with tears, widened even more.

"Godmother? Of course! Oh my God...She's so beautiful..."

The baby was passed to Hornet, who cooed over her for what seemed like several minutes, and then handed back to her still sobbing mother. The baby was so fragile in Elaine's arms that she was kind of scared to hold her, but she couldn't let go once her perfect little daughter was with her again.

"Born seven pounds, sixth ounces, December 26, 2:58 A.M.," the doctor said to Elaine. She looked up at the clock.

"It's the twenty sixth? It's not Christmas any more?" she asked.

"Yep," replied Scipio.

"So, what are you going to name her?" asked Hornet. Elaine looked down at the baby in her arms again, and then at Scipio once more. She grinned at him again, remembering the name they'd picked out two months ago.

"Well, her middle name's Ellen," said Scipio.

"That's a beautiful middle name," said Miss Vieri. "And her first?"

Elaine looked at the baby, and was overwhelmed. She was tired, and her eyes and body begged her for sleep, but she wanted to make this moment last as long as possible. This baby was her Spring, Summer, Fall, and now Winter, her life already. This baby was the reason she and Scipio had gotten so close, the reason she and her mother got along now. This baby was perfect.

And Elaine loved her more than she thought possible.

"Well," she began...

The baby suddenly fell asleep, a warm, breathing little lump next to her mother. "Her name is..." she traced the baby's nose with her finger, feeling like a giant next to this perfect little being. Elaine looked up at her husband, Scipio, and grinned again.

"Remy."

* * *

**THE END**


End file.
